Renegade Rebels
by Laylaenchantix101
Summary: Renegade; a person who deserts a party for another. That's the meaning of the city of Renegade, once known as Tokyo. Ichigo, a simple maid, finds herself swept into a rebellion with four other girls in order to claim back the Earth for the humans. But the real question is, can Ichigo kill her enemy, the one who stands in the way? Or face something more terrifying...?
1. Part 1: The Mew Project

**Hello, everyone! I know there're some of these where the Mews are princesses, blah blah blah, they fall in love with the aliens, blah blah blah, and all that. I decided to give it a try, with my own little twist. *pauses* At least, if there's a story like this, then I'm not really aware of it...**

**Well, hope you like it. I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. I sincerly doubt I ever will.**

* * *

_**Wow…I could stand up here all day if I were allowed!**_

Ichigo Momomiya beamed down at the scenery below, standing atop of one of the tallest buildings of Renegade.

Renegade. The name of the kingdom she was living in. What was it like, one hundred years ago, when it was called Tokyo, and ruled by the humans? She frowned. Too bad she didn't live in that time, before-

"Ichigo?" A hand waved in front of her face. Ichigo blinked and shook her head, giving a sheepish smile towards her two friends. The wind was stronger up here, and the smile faded as she blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the strands of red hair in her eyes.

"Sorry, Moe, Miwa. I guess I was spacing out again." Ichigo chuckled nervously, shifting the huge laundry basket in her arms.

Moe rolled her eyes. "Ichigo, you know you'll be punished if you're caught!"

Miwa shuddered. "You might have to sleep in _The Cellar." _

Ichigo shuddered as well. "I can't imagine going down _there. _Can you imagine what'd it be like? Remember the first cook that Mistress had? She nearly went insane!"

Moe frowned at them. "Come on," she said, now's not the time to be talking about that kind of stuff! Besides, I have important news to tell you guys!"

"Important?" Ichigo tilted her head. "How important?"

"Very important!" Moe squealed. "There's a rumor going around, saying one of the maids of the Mistress are going to be transferred to the palace!"

"The palace?" Miwa gasped. "Are you serious?"

Ichigo looked at the clearing again. In the distance, a tall, glass palace sparkled in the sun. Ichigo smiled dreamily, wondering what it was like to be working in a place so magnificent.

"…so handsome! And strong!"

"Huh?" Ichigo shook her head and glanced back at her friends. "What are you guys saying?"

"About the Prince," Moe gushed. "They say he's so handsome, he can make any girl melt on the spot!" She placed a hand on her cheek and sighed dreamily.

Ichigo rolled her eyes. "I doubt that."

"Of course you do." Miwa smiled. "Your heart only belongs to _him."_

Ichigo's cheeks flared up as she realized who Miwa was talking about. "That's not-"

"There's no need to deny it," Moe laughed. "You're head over heels for Masaya Aoyama, the gardener! You refuse to fall in love with any other man, even if that man is the prince!"

Ichigo glowered at her friend. "I just think that this prince isn't the greatest as everyone makes him out to be. If you ask me, the way he acts when he comes out in public makes him sound like a jerk! Besides, it's not like he'd fall in love with a maid."

"That's not all, either," Miwa said quietly, changing the subject. "There's the Chimera Hunt."

Ichigo snapped her mouth shut again. Suddenly, the air around her seemed colder.

"Come on," Moe muttered. "We should go before The Mistress gets impatient."

"Yeah," Miwa sighed. "We should."

Ichigo took one last look over her shoulder at the view, before nodding in agreement. "Yes. You're right. Let's go."

* * *

One hundred years ago…there had been Tokyo. Now, there was only Renegade, capitol city to the Cyniclons.

Renegade. Meaning to desert one's faith; traitor. They were calling the humans traitors for turning against their planet. A mockery to them. It wasn't an accident that they named their city that.

"Is there any luck?"

The long, brown-haired man nodded. "Yes. The first one was just above us. With her help…"

"We'll be able to find the others."

"Ryou…" The brown-haired man turned around in his chair to frown at the young man before him. "Are you sure she'll agree to this?"

The man, Ryou, paused. "I guess I didn't think of that."

"No, I can assume not." The man lifted an eyebrow.

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Ryou snapped.

The man shook his head. "Of course not. Please, are you ready?"

"Yes, Akasaka. Begin the project." Ryou pursed his lips and stared intently at the computer screen.

"Let the Mew Project begin."

_Click._

* * *

_**What a beautiful place…I could be here all day. It's so peaceful…nothing like Renegade.**_

The world around her was a murky green, and it glittered everywhere. Something about it was so soothing, like she was home. But something felt missing. Something…part of her.

As she glanced around, she noticed a small, black figure making its way towards her. As it got closer, Ichigo saw that it was a cat.

"Oh, hello," Ichigo mumbled dreamily. "What're you doing in a place like this?"

In answer, the cat leapt into her arms. Ichigo smiled, feeling extremely peaceful. For once, she didn't have a fear of her Mistress finding her and giving her a lashing.

"Why don't you go home?" Ichigo mumbled.

The cat looked up at her, and then jumped right into her chest. Ichigo felt that part of her come back, and she smiled dreamily. "Finally."

With that, the world disappeared, and Ichigo closed her eyes.

"...Ichigo!"

"Eh?" Ichigo opened her eyes. "Where am I?"

"Ichigo! Thank goodness!" Moe gave her a giant hug.

Ichigo shook her head, trying to clear it. "What happened?"

"You just suddenly passed out!" Miwa exclaimed. "You muttered 'Finally', and fell!"

Ichigo frowned. "That's...that's weird. I can't remember."

Moe shrugged. "You've always had a bad memory."

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped. "That's isn't true! My memory isn't that bad!"

Moe grinned. "Whatever you say, Ichigo. Now come on! Mistress will be angry if we're late! So come on!"

"Ah...you're right." Ichigo stood up. "Let's go."

As Moe and Miwa walked ahead, Ichigo looked down. What had that been?

Obviously something weird. Ichigo glanced at her two best friends, trying to determine whether or not to tell them. Sure, they were her best friends, and she'd known them for at least seven years, ever since she had started working for the Mistress.

The Mistress! She would kill them if they were late! Ichigo quickly re-adjusted her grip on the laundry basket in her hands and started to pick up her pace. "We better hurry," she called to the two girls.

Moe rolled her eyes. "That's what we've been saying!"

"Let it go, Moe," Miwa told her, smiling wryly at the hustling red-haired girl. "Let it go."

* * *

Ichigo wrung her hands nervously. What could the Mistress possibly want all the maids for? It hadn't been the fact that she was a few minutes late with returning the laundry, right? That certainly wouldn't involve the other maids!

"What could the Mistress possibly want with us?" Moe asked her two friends, voicing Ichigo's thoughts.

"I don't know," Miwa responded. "I hope it doesn't have to do with the fact that we were late with the laundry. That definetly wouldn't involve the other maids, right?" She looked between her two friends. "Right?"

_**I swear, they're reading my mind,** _Ichigo thought.

Just then, the Mistress entered.

Ichigo had never known her name. Even if she had, it wouldn't have ever done her any good, because they were all required to call her 'Mistress'. She was a tall, lanky cyniclon woman with dark blue hair, pale gray eyes, and skin milky white. Like the rest of the Cyniclons, she had large, pointy, elf-like ears. Today, she wore a simple green gown that swept the floor, hiding the heels that made a _click, click, click _sound as she walked across the smooth marble floor. She regarded each made carefully and cooly, making Ichigo nervous.

"I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here today," the Mistress said, her voice completly empty of any emotion.

No one responded.

**_Please don't let it be about the laundry, please don't let it be about the laundry, please don't let it be about the laundry..._**

"As you all know, I am related to the current King and Queen of Renegade..."

Ichigo sagged in relief.

"...and they have asked me to select a single maid from my staff. So, if any of you wish to have the honor of serving in the palace, I want you all on your best behavior. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress," the maids replied in unison.

"Good, good," the Mistress responded, nodding. "You are all dismissed."

Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa quickly left the room.

"What a relief," Moe groaned. "I thought we would've gotten punished with all the other maids watching! That would've been _humiliating!"_

"Yeah..." Ichigo agreed, nodding slowly.

Miwa inspected a small piece of paper she had pulled out of her pocket. "I'm supposed to be setting up for dinner tonight," she commented.

Ichigo dug a hand in her pocket. She grimaced. "I'm supposed to help Mistress with her evening wear. We must be having guests tonight."

Moe patted her friend's shoulder in sympathey. "Good luck," she told Ichigo.

"Yeah, you're going to need it!" Miwa called, jogging into the dining room. Ichigo glowered after her, then glanced out the window.

A crystal clear sky, and several buildings looming in the distance.

That was what she saw every day.

But what, exactly, was it hiding?

Somehow, Ichigo had strange feeling that she might one day find out.

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments? Hopefully, it will get better as it goes on.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. Two

**Special thinks to the Mew Mew Pepper and SonicXMinagirl~! I feel so happy! You guys are awesome! **

**I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or its characters.**

* * *

Over the next few days, Ichigo's life was in turmoil. Not only did the Mistress have guests, but they were the 'guests' that were supposed to be selecting the maid to transfer to the palace. They were two men; one in his twenties, a perfect gentleman with brown hair, and one that was only a few years older than Ichigo, and a complete jerk with blonde hair. And they were both human. There were very few respected humans with high positions in the area, and so far, Ichigo wasn't very impressed with these legendary "respected human beings".

"Hey, you, Red," the blonde haired man called to her on the fourth day of his stay.

Ichigo gritted her teeth. "Yes, sir?" she said sweetly, trying to control her anger. She _hated _being called that. Always about the stupid red hair.

"I need you to go shopping for me," the man told her.

Ichigo bowed her head in order to hide an eye twitch. "Oh? Well, it just so happens that I'm scheduled to pick up ingredients to tonight's meal. So, yes, I guess I can-"

"Great. Take this." The tossed her a list, which she barely caught in time.

"Of course, sir," she responded, turning around quickly and walking away before he could say anything else. She glanced at the list in her hands, and found only one item on the list:

_Food from Sakura Blossom. Doesn't matter what it is, just make sure it's good. _

Ichigo grinned. This was extremly good luck! Her mother worked at Sakura Blossom, and she hadn't seen her parents in months. Definetly not a bad day.

As she skipped her way outside, she heard a voice call, "Ichigo!"

The red-haired girl turned around, her smile widening as she spotted the gardner, Masaya Aoyama.

When they were little, the two had been good friends. They were very lucky they were taken in to be servants by the Mistress, even if they hardly saw each other. Being a maid, Ichigo usually worked indoors, and Aoyama was a gardner. It was pretty obvious what he did.

"Aoyama," she greeted. "It's nice to talk to you." _**Really, really, really nice,** _she added in her mind.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Are you going out to the market?"

She nodded. "I'm supposed to collect the ingredients for tonight's meal. And one of the men visiting from the palace asked me to get something from the Sakura Blossom."

"It must be a good day for you, then," he commented. "Your mother works at the Sakura Blossom, doesn't she?"

Ichigo felt like glowing with happiness. "Yes, she does. I'm surprised you remembered that."

"Of course." He smiled. "Do you mind if I join you to go to the market? Mistress asked me to get some more flower seeds for the garden."

"Oh, yes, of course you can. I'd like someone to talk to." Ichigo resisted the urge to lift her arms and yell, "YES!" at the top of her lungs and doing a happy dance.

Maybe Moe and Miwa were right. She _was _head over heels for Aoyama. She had been for a long time.

* * *

Ichigo placed a carefully wrapped steak in her basket and smiled at it. "That concludes my shopping. Now I can finally go to the Sakura Blossom!"

She paid the butcher and quickly exited the shop, smiling brightly. Finally, she could see her mother again! She had so much to tell her...

The Sakura Blossom was a single building with two floors; the resturant on the second and a blacksmith on the first. It had customers from Cyniclons and humans alike, but more often humans (thankfully. The Royal Guards were a complete nightmare).

As Ichigo entered the kitchen, the smell of spices became overwhelming.

"Ichigo!" a voice cried. Soon enough, she was swept into a warm embrace, almost crushing her lungs.

"Hello, Mother," she managed to say. "Can I breathe now?"

Her mother let her go. "Oh, of course. Sorry."

Mrs. Momomiya was an older version of Ichigo; short red hair, pale skin, and dark brown eyes. The only thing different, though, was their cooking skills. Ichigo couldn't even make toast without setting it on fire; Mrs. Momomiya, however, only set fire to things that needed it.

"What brings you here?" she asked her daughter.

Ichigo smiled. "Representives of the royal palace have come to help the Mistress decide which maid to send over to work for the King and Queen."

"Oh, Ichigo, that's wonderful! But what does that have to do with you coming here?"

"One of them asked me to get something from the Sakura Blossom." Her face settled into a scowl. "That guy is such a jerk! Honestly, I've never met anyone so arrogant or hot-headed in my life! Respected human beings my foot!"

Her mother laughed. "That sounds like your father when I met him. He was a jerk, but soon enough we fell in love."

Ichigo felt her face heat up. "You can't be saying that I'm going to fall in love and marry this guy."

"I never said you were going to," Mrs. Momomiya said with a wink. "Not unless you want to, that is..."

"Mother!"

"Sorry, sorry." Her mom grinned. "Now, did he ask for anything specific?"

Ichigo shook her head. "He just said to make sure it's good."

"Oh!" Her mom got a spark in her eye. "Then he's going to love our newest special- the fish combo!"

Ichigo stared at her mother, waiting for her to continue. Fish...why did that sound so good? And maybe some milk, too.

She quickly pushed the thought from her mind. Milk? Fish? Ha! The Mistress might as well throw her a feast. She couldn't think about eating such luxeries.

"It's a combination of some of our most popular fish; salmon, halibut, and- oh, you get the idea!" Mrs. Momomiya flew over to a basket filled to the brim with lemons. "Just wait a bit and I'll have it ready soon!"

"Great." Ichigo smiled brightly. She glanced outside, frowning. _**What could possibly be keeping Aoyama? I thought that he would've been here by now. I hope he's okay...**_

"Ichigo? Are you looking for someone?" her mother asked.

The girl sighed. "It's just that...you remember Aoyama Masaya, right?"

"Oh, that boy you were good friends with when you were younger?"

"Yes. The Mistress gave him an errand, so he accompanied me." Ichigo smiled dreamily, thinking about her day. Aoyama hadn't wanted to go into the butcher's shop, so he told her that he would be looking for more seeds to please the Mistress. Ichigo's smile turned into a frown. She hadn't seen him since, and now she was beginning to worry. What if he encountered...?

"Ichigo."

"Hmm?" Ichigo snapped out of her daydream and turned to her mother, who was staring out into the resturant, where all the customers were sitting. Her face was a mask of worry.

"I want you to leave, now," her mother said quietly. "They're coming."

"Who?"

"The Royal Guards."

Ichigo froze. "But isn't this a resturant for regular humans? Why would they come here?"

Her mother pursed her lips. "There have been rumors of a rebellion. The Guards are checking every inch of Renegade for a hint of this rebellion."

Rebellion? Ichigo wanted to laugh at the thought. How ridiculous! The Cyniclons outnumbered the humans greatly; any hint of rebellion would be squashed in about five minutes flat. Any hope for freedom had been lost a long time ago.

"Go. Try not to draw attention to yourself," Mrs. Momomiya said, watching as Cyniclons walked (actually, more like hovered) around the place. "I don't want you to be caught up in this."

Ichigo nodded and stepped into the resturant. She slowly began to inch her way to the steps, when-

_CRASH!_

"I'm so sorry!" a voice wailed. Ichigo saw a green-haired girl, looking at a Guard with spilled tea and glass all over him in horror. "I-I didn't mean to...it was an accident. I'm so sor-"

"Silence!" the Cyniclon guards roared. He grabbed the poor stuttering girl by the throat and lifted her off the ground. "How dare you assualt a member of the Royal Guards?"

Before she knew what she was doing, Ichigo stormed over, ignoring her mother's whispered pleas. "Put her down!" she demanded. "She said it was an accident!"

The girl's dark blue eyes widened in complete disbelief. A human defending a stranger was odd, but standing up for a stranger against a Royal Guard? No one would even dream of joking about such a thing.

The Guard narrowed his eyes. "You _dare _argue with me?"

Instead of cowering back, she returned his glare. "Look at her!" she cried, pointing to the girl. "She looks like she truly regrets what she did."

_**Shut up, shut up, shut up!**_Ichigo's mind screamed. "You shouldn't punish her for that," her mouth said.

_**What am I doing?! I could get killed!**_she thought fearfully. Even so, she didn't back down. Why _was _she defending this stranger? She didn't even know her!

The Guard laughed coldly and dropped the girl. "And who are _you _to argue with me?" he sneered.

"I'm not," Ichigo responded. "I am simply someone who thinks that you should try to be a little more understanding!"

The Guard grabbed her by the hair. Ichigo yelped and attempted to fight back, but it was useless. "Then if you do not want me to punish her, then I will punish you instead!"

He dragged her over to the rail, and beneath her feet was the blacksmith shop. The poor man looked up and was startled to see a girl dangling right over his head. He quickly backed away, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Ichigo felt tears of pain form. "Let me go!" she yelled, then realized what a poor choice of words it was.

The Guard smirked. "As you wish."

Then he let go.

Ichigo began to fall, but instead of fear, she felt something take over her...instinct? She twisted her body around in middair, and before she knew it, she was on the ground, safely on her feet.

There was a stunned silence. Ichigo, herself, felt stunned.

What just happened?

"GET HER!" the Guard's voice yelled.

Ichigo didn't waste any time. She bolted out the door, running as though her life depended on it (which it probably did).

She didn't notice the smiling man and his partner as she ran past them.

Nor did she hear the words, "I found the first one."

* * *

"Hey, Red," the blonde man whispered to Ichigo later that day. "Where's my Sakura Blossom food?"

"They were unable to give me any," she responded flatly. "Besides, I ran out of money, so I couldn't pay the chefs."

"Ah, I see." The man nodded, which surprised Ichigo. She half-expected him to tell the Mistress to punish her.

"You seem rather cheerful for someone who didn't get his food," Ichigo remarked suspiciously.

The man smiled at her. "Maybe it's because I'm in a good mood," he responded.

Ichigo nodded. "Of course, sir," she said politely, before turning away. She couldn't stand to be around any more confusing people or things. After today, she had had enough of _confusing._

"Ryou," the brown-haired man whispered to him, "Are you positive? She doesn't seem like the kind of girl who is willing to help us."

Ryou smiled slightly. "I'm positive." He leaned back in his chair. "After all, she's already showing the signs," he added, watching the red-haired maid walk away, before disappearing behind a wall.


	3. Three

**Only one new review? *shrugs* That's okay! Let's get reading! Happy late Thanksgiving, everyone!**

**I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew.**

* * *

This was it.

The moment of truth.

The time really had come.

After staying so long, Ichigo almost felt sad that the men had to go.

Almost.

"I can't believe it!" Moe hissed to her friends. "The time has finally come!"

_**I swear, they can read my mind,** _Ichigo thought dryly.

"I wonder who's going to be able to go!" Miwa sighed. "Oh, wouldn't it be amazing to be working at the palace?" She sighed, a dreamy smile on her face. "The riches they must have!"

"The food," Ichigo mumbled. "Rumors say that they serve amazing feasts at the palace, and the servants get great leftovers!"

Miwa slapped a hand to her cheek. "What if they allowed us to travel outside the palace walls on our own free will?" she gasped. "That would be heaven!" Her face brightened. "Maybe even take _breaks!" _

The three girls laughed at the thought of those kinds of luxeries. Though, they had to admit, it _did _sound nice. Being able to do those kinds of things would be amazing.

But they were humans. Servants to the Cyniclons. What position were they in to complain?

"Come on," Moe said. "We can't keep everyone waiting." She hurridly ran towards the dining room.

"Hey! Wait up!" Miwa called, running after her.

Ichigo scowled. "Don't leave me behind!" she cried, taking off after them.

A few days had gone by since the Sakura Blossom episode, and the search for the "blood-haired human witch" had finally died down (much to Ichigo's relief). The horrors it would've been if the Mistress had found out that that human witch was her! A lashing would've been the least of Ichigo's worries.

The rest of the maids were already in the kitchen. Moe, Miwa, and Ichigo were the last ones to arrive.

The two men were already standing, the Mistress next to them, whispering in their ear.

"Yes, we're very sure of our choice," Ichigo heard them say. The red-haired girl scowled and rubbed her ears. What was _wrong _with her lately? Craving for fish and milk, sudden agility, and now better hearing? It was like she was a Cyniclon (Okay, so _maybe _a Cyniclon wouldn't have a random craving for fish and milk, but they were pretty agile, and with those huge ears, they could probably hear almost everything)!

"It's so exciting!" Miwa whispered. Her leg was bouncing up and down slightly with anticipation.

"I know," Moe whispered back.

Ichigo said nothing. Instead, she concentrated on what the two men were saying.

"Are you sure?" the brown-haired man asked. "We don't know for sure if she's completly willing to-"

"She will," the blonde man insisted. He turned his head and locked eyes with Ichigo. Then, (much to her disgust and surprise) he winked.

The maid's face turned red, and she looked away, seething. "Stupid jerk," she muttered under her breath.

"Thank you all for coming," the brown-haired man finally announced. "As you all know, we are representitives of the Royal Palace, who are looking for new maids. After all, a palace can never be too clean."

Some maids chuckled nervously at his little joke.

"His point is," the blonde man interjected, "is that we have made our final choice."

This...

"The lucky maid..."

Was...

"...who will be going to the palace is..."

It.

"...Ichigo Momomiya."

The maids clapped politely, including Ichigo. Until she realized what he had said.

She stopped automatically, her eyes huge. She was being sent to the palace?! She was pretty sure that the man hated her. She didn't even try to be nice to him! So why would he send _her _to the palace?

Was this some kind of sick joke?

"Pack your things," the blonde man continued, seemingly oblivious to Ichigo's inner turmoil. "You're leaving in two days."

* * *

"You're so lucky, Ichigo!"

"I wish I could be you, Ichigo!"

"Be sure to write to us!"

"They won't give her any paper to write with!"

"Oh. Be sure to drop by us in the marketplace then!"

Ichigo scowled at her best friends. "Will you two be quiet?!" she hissed. "I don't want to go to the palace!" she wailed. "I won't be able to see you guys unless I'm going to the market, and even then, what if it's never on your days to go pick up that day's meal?!"

Moe stared at her friend. "But you'll have to go," she insisted. "It's on orders of the palace!"

"Besides," Miwa added, "you'll be able to work for..._The Prince_." As if on cue, the two girls placed one of their hands on one of their cheeks and sighed dreamily, a glazed look in their eyes.

Ichigo glared at them. "I don't care about the stupid prince!" she said hotly.

Moe gasped. "Ichigo!" she hissed. "Lower your voice! You could be arrested for treason!"

The red-haired girl glared at them. "I don't care about treason either!" she snapped. "What I _do _care about are my two best friends encouraging me to go to the palace when I might never see you two again!"

"Don't be silly, Ichigo," Miwa told her. "We'll be able to see each other on holidays, and if we're lucky, we could bump into each other in the marketplace and shop together!" A sly smirk crossed her face. "The only reason you're upset is because you won't be able to see Aoyama anymore!"

"That's not true!" Ichigo cried indignantly.

"Stop teasing her," Moe scolded Miwa, before turning back to the red-haired girl. "Don't worry about it, okay? The world won't end, and we'll still be able to keep in touch." She smiled. "Just try and snag some paper and write to us." She poked Ichigo in the stomach. "Got it?"

Ichigo bit her lip. "But..." she protested weakly.

"No more buts!" Moe said firmly. "Can you please try to be happy? Please? For your two best friends?"

The maid rolled her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled. "But the moment I get my hands on a sheet of paper, I'll write to you guys, okay?"

"Okay!" her best friends said in unison. The maids of the Mistress were luckier than most. They were taught to read and write at a young age (mainly because the Mistress would have them write her letters and read the letters she recieved). Most didn't have something like that. Their Mistress was at least kind enough to feed them...

"Oh no!" Miwa gasped. "I have to go set the table!"

Moe glanced at her own schedule for the day before her eyes grew wide. "And I'm supposed to cook!" she cried. "Come on!" The two girls took off, calling, "See you, Ichigo!" over their shoulders.

Ichigo threw her head back and cried, "What does a girl have to do to get a proper goodbye around here?!"

"Good-bye?"

"Gah!" Ichigo jumped and whirled around, coming face-to-face with Aoyama.

"You jump really high," was his only comment, a look of amusement and confusion written across his face.

The girl's face matched her hair. "You startled me," she mumbled. She gave a weak laugh. "Did you hear all of that?"

Aoyama nodded. "You mean the fact that you wanted a proper good-bye? Yes."

The maid calmed down slightly, relieved that he hadn't heard the full conversation between her and her friends.

"Anyway," Aoyama continued, "I heard that you were being transferred to the palace, so I came by to wish you congradulations. And, also, I was wondering..." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering that later tonight, if it's alright with the Mistress, we could go out to the forest and, just enjoy each other's company. You know, before you leave."

Ichigo didn't know what to say. She was utterly stunned. Aoyama wanted to spend time with her? At the forest? How romantic was that?!

A look of disappointment crossed his face. "If you don't want to go-" he started.

"NO!" Ichigo burst out. She laughed nervously. "I mean, yes, I do want to go. I'd really love to! If it's alright with the Mistress, that is." She laughed again, only this time, more freely. "I'd really love to," she repeated.

His smile seemed too big for his face. "Great! I'll request an audience with the Mistress and see if it's okay."

The moment Aoyama was out of earshot, Ichigo cried, "YES!" and started spinning in circles, laughing happily, momentarily forgetting her troubles.

Of course, her troubles had just begun.

* * *

"Did she say it was okay?" Ichigo asked Aoyama anxiously later that day. . **_Please let her have said yes, please let her have said yes..._**

Aoyama grinned. "She did. Come on."

Ichigo followed the boy silently, taking in the sights around them. The sun was setting, and soon night would fall.

**_A moonlight walk,_**the girl thought, swooning slightly. _**Even more romantic!**_Ichigo wanted to dance with joy, but she decided against it.

"So, Momomiya," he started, using the formal way of speaking. Ichigo's heart sank a tiny bit. "The reason I wanted to talk to was to give you a going-away gift."

_**Is he proposing to me? But I'm too young! We're too young! But what if it's a promise ring? Or what if we eloped? Oh, the possibilites are ENDLESS!**_

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red ribbon.

Ichigo stared at it. "How did you...?"

"I've been saving up. I didn't realize I was going to give it to you so soon, but...here." Aoyama put it in her hands.

It was a red ribbon, feeling almost like velvet (or at least what she imagined what velvet felt like). On it was a bell that chimed with every movement. Ichigo's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Do you like it?" he asked her.

Aoyama was nervous! That was so cute!

"Of course not," she responded, still staring at it. She looked up at him and grinned. "I _love _it!"

"Really?" he asked, looking relieved.

"Of course!" Ichigo responded, grinning from ear-to-ear. "I've never owned such a beautiful item before," she admitted. "I'll treasure this with my life."

Aoyama smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"Love it," she corrected him, trying to tie it around her neck. She failed miserably.

"Here, let me help," the boy said, going around her and taking the necklace from behind. Ichigo felt her face heat up as his fingers lightly brushed the back of her neck.

"T-thanks," she mumbled.

"No problem," he told her.

The sky was starting to darken. Ichigo's heart was beating so hard, it felt like the ground was shaking all around her.

Wait a minute. It wasn't her heart. The ground really _was _shaking!

"An earthquake?" Aoyama cried. "Do you think it could be an aftershock for the last one?"

_**Last one?**_

The ground was rumbling even more. Aoyama looked past her, and his eyes widened. "Momomiya, look out!"

Before Ichigo realized what was happening, the boy had shoved her to the ground before he was knocked off his feet by a large claw.

_**Oh no! A loose Chimera!** _Ichigo thought fearfully, backing away from it. It was large, covered in matted gray fur. It had probably once been a simple animal, like a rat, but now it was a huge, terrifying beast that served the Cyniclons. Loose Chimeras were common, but Ichigo had never been so stupid enough to be caught in one!

She looked over at the now unconscious Ayoama. _**I have to protect him,**_she thought. **_I can't run away like a scared little girl!_**

Ichigo stood, glaring at the Chimera. "You want me?" she yelled. "Come and get me!"

With that, she took off, running like her life depended on it (which, of course, it did), the Chimera right behind her.

"You're brave. Stupid, but brave."

Ichigo stopped, then jumped out of the way a few seconds before the sharp talons of the Chimera came crashing down on the spot where she had stood. She glanced to her left, surprised when she saw the blonde man.

"What are you doing here?!" she shouted.

The man shrugged. "Figured I should pay you a visit." He glanced at the roaring Chimera. "It looks like that was a good idea, huh?"

"What do you want?" she snapped, ducking as the Chimera batted at her with its paw.

"Catch." He tossed a small object high in the air. Out of instinct, Ichigo lept up and caught it. Then her jaw dropped as she realized what she just did.

"Use it!" the man ordered. "And hurry, before the Chimera kills you and your boyfriend."

"He's not my-" The Chimera backhanded Ichigo, sending her into a tree.

"Use it!" the man ordered again. "You're special. So take it!"

The small object started to glow. Instead of shrieking and hurling it into the bushes, she pressed it to her leg and let out a sigh. The words she said sounded so common, it seemed as though she had been saying them all her life:

"Mew Mew Strawberry! METAMORPHO-SIS!"

The world around her began to glow again. Looking around in wonder, she smiled. _**It's that world again...that peaceful world...**_

Something covered her hands. Something warm, something soft and cozy. She shut her eyes and felt the world cover her, clothe her...

Wait a minute.

Ichigo opened her eyes. Instead of her usual maid's dress, she wore a shorter one, one that was bright pink with red trimmings and was sleeveless. She had a garter the same shade, and dark red boots. On her hands were gloves, one decorated with a cute bow with a heart at its center. She grabbed a lock of her hair and studied it; it had turned the same shade of pink as her dress. Around her neck was a choker, but she couldn't see it (obviously). Above all these things, though...

"In the name of the god Deep Blue!" she cried. "I have a tail! And _ears!" _She grabbed them and yanked at them, then yelping as pain shot through her. "And it hurts!"

The man watched her, torn between banging his head against the tree he was leaning on or laughing out loud in amusement.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he muttered. Then, louder, he said, "Fight it!"

"What?" Ichigo turned to stare at the giant Chimera, who looked slightly stunned at the sudden transformation of his snack. "How?!"

"The words! They come from your heart! Listen to it!"

_**Listen...to my heart...**_

"Strawberry Bell!"

Behind Ichigo, her "tail" started to glow. Actually, the ribbon did. She looked over at it curiously, then gasped as a heart-shaped object appeared in her hand.

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS THING?!" she yelled.

"Yeah, maybe I should've left her to die," the man muttered.

"I heard that!"

The man rolled his eyes. "I told you, listen to your heart!"

Ichigo jumped into the air, sailing higher than humanly possible. At the moment, though, she was slightly distracted, otherwise she would probably be shrieking at the top of her lungs. As she jumped again, one of its paws swept at her again. With a shriek, she lifted up the heart-shaped object, and to her utter surprise, a barrier formed around her, keeping the Chimera at bay.

_**These words...they sound...so normal.**_

An idea popped into the girl's head. She grinned, and landed right before the Chimera, striking a pose. The mutated beast regarded her, trying to decide whether or not he should eat the squirming prey. It was actually kind of funny, but it was growing bored, and fast.

"Alright, you furry little beast!" she cried, landing on a tree. "For hurting Aoyama, I'll make you pay! I don't care whether or not you're a pet of the Cyniclons, but I'm sure to give you a taste of Mew Ichigo!"

The Chimera, now bored, swept in on Ichigo for the final blow. She jumped, however, sailing above its head. "I don't think so!"

_**Let's see what these can do. **_

Ichigo crossed her arms in an 'X', the heart center of the bow on her glove connecting with the object. She spun in a slow circle, taking a few moments to savor the feeling. "Ribbon...Strawberry...CHECK!"

She nearly flew back from the powerful blast of energy the object (apparently the "Strawberry Bell"). Instead, she dug the heels of her boots into the ground and gritted her teeth. The Chimera roared in pain, before glowing brightly. In an instant, all there was left was a jelly-fish like creature and a large rat.

Ichigo fell back in shock, her hand covering her mouth. "I don't believe it..." she whispered. "I purified a Chimera. I PURIFIED A CHIMERA! NO ONE'S EVER DONE THAT BEFORE!" She did a small victory dance. "I don't believe it! I purified a Chimera!"

She watched the jelly-fish creature for a moment, then saw a small, pink object float over to it. It looked like it had eyes, and a tail. Then, it opened its mouth (did it even have a mouth? With all that fur, Ichigo couldn't see) and swallowed the thing whole.

"Was that...an infuser?" she whispered. Ichigo's eyes lit up. "I can't believe I purified a Chimera. No one's ever done that before!"

She spun in a whole circle, laughing out loud. "I can't believe it! I really can't believe it!" She stopped suddenly, reality catching up with her. "Wait a minute...I HAVE A TAIL! AND A PAIR OF NEW EARS!"

When Ichigo turned to face the blonde man, he was gone, and so was the pink fluffball, and the answers to the questions she had.

The girl scowled and stomped her foot. "What does a girl have to do to get some answers?" she wailed.

She brought her hand up to her neck. The moment she brushed whatever was hanging on the choker, she instantly transformed back into her normal self. Clutched in her hand was a gold oval, decorated with pink hearts and swirls. Ichigo studied it for a moment before reality caught up with her...again.

"OH NO! AOYAMA!" she screamed, running over to his unconscious body. The her relief, he was just starting to wake up.

"Momomiya?" he whispered. "What happened?" His eyes widened as she remembered what happened. "Where's the Chimera?!"

Ichigo smiled softly. "It's okay," she said softly. "We're fine. The Chimera's gone."

"But...but how?" he asked weakly.

She never answered his question, no matter how many times he asked her. Because, truthfully, she didn't really know herself.

_**But that man...he knows. He should know.**_Ichigo clenched her hands into fists. _**He knows something, even if it might not be a lot. And whatever it is, I will force him to answer me!** _She gave the golden object in the pocket of her dress a squeeze.

_**After all, it seems like I turned into Mew Ichigo. **_


	4. Four

**Let's get goin'!**

**I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew~!**

* * *

The next day, Ichigo was excused from her duties in order to pack. She didn't have that many belongings, anyway; a few simple dresses she wore to work, three pairs of worn shoes, two ribbons to tie her hair, underclothes, and the necklace that Aoyama had given her. She giggled, her face flushing at the thought of him.

And then there was...that. The object the man had given her.

When the day got brighter, the maid had inspected it. It was simply a gold pendant, a heart decorated in the center, two swirls above it and dots decorating the bottom. She should've packed it in the small bag Moe and Miwa had provided her, but she felt safer when it was in the pocket of her dress.

"It's kind of disappointing," Miwa was saying to the two. Even though Ichigo had been excused, she decided to help the two with their daily chores. At the moment, they were just returning from the laundromats. Just like they did on that first day.

_"Do you think it could be an aftershock for the last one?" _Aoyama had asked her.

"Ichigo, are you even listening?" Miwa snapped. The red-haired maid blinked, and smiled sheepishly, shifting the basket of laundry in her arms.

"Sorry. I guess I was spacing out."

"_Again," _Moe muttered. Ichigo stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"Anyway," Miwa interjected, rolling her eyes, "I was just saying how disappointing it was that you won't be able to see the Prince for another few weeks. I heard—"

"That he's so handsome that he can make any girl melt on the spot," Ichigo finished flatly. She quickly changed the topic. "Do you guys remember any earthquake?"

Moe and Miwa exchanged surprised glances. "_Remember?" _they cried.

"Of course we do!" Moe exclaimed. "I'm surprised that it didn't leave behind anything to show that it had been here—but just like that, it was gone! I'm surprised you don't remember. You cried out and passed out! That's why we were trying to wake you!"

Ichigo blinked. "I did? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it was several minutes after it stopped, and by then we had calmed down slightly," Miwa informed her. "Just like Moe said, it just came and went."

Ichigo pursed her lips and nodded stiffly. "Okay. Thanks for telling me."

* * *

"So long, Ichigo!"

"The moment you find a pen and a loose scrap of paper, write to us!"

Ichigo smiled at her friends. "Don't worry," she assured them. "I'll try, and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you when I'm in the market!"

The large, green carriage was right in front of them, patiently waiting for Ichigo to step into it. She was a nervous wreck, but covered it up with an obviously fake smile at her friends.

"Come on, Ichigo," Moe pleaded. "Remember what we asked of you?"

The maid felt her smile drop. "Yes."

"Just try to be happy," Miwa told her. "For us?"

Ichigo smiled slightly. "Okay. I'll try, but I'm going to miss you."

"Tell us about all the new friends you make!" Moe told her as she gave the girl one last hug.

"They better not be better than us, though," Miwa added, before grinning impishly. "Nah, no one's better than us."

Ichigo laughed. "You're right." She bent down and picked up the small brown bag that carried all her things. "I hope to see you soon." She placed her foot on the first step of the carriage, and shot her friends a sad smile. Her friends continued waving, even when the door to the carriage had shut, blocking their friend from sight. And they were still waving, even when the carriage finally disappeared from view.

"That was a long good-bye."

Ichigo turned her attention to the two men before her. The first was the brown-haired one, and the second was the blonde-haired man. She narrowed her eyes slightly

"They are my childhood friends, sir," she told him. Though her tone was respectful, her face impassive, her eyes sparked with rage.

The blonde man scoffed. "Don't try to be polite. I can tell you want to yell." He folded his hands in his lap. "Let's get right down to buisness, shall we? You want to know about the day in the park, and any other strange events that we might have been responsible for."

Ichigo blinked. She had expected to have to fight for answers (and the pendent clutched firmly in her fist proved that). But for him to give it to her?

The brown-haired man noticed her surprise. He chuckled slightly, and said, "We caused this to happen for a reason, Ichigo Momomiya. It's our job to inform you why."

The said girl crossed her arms. "Let's have it, then," she told them.

The blonde man cleared his throat. "My name is Ryou Shirogane, and this is my partner, Keiichiro Akasaka. We're the ones who turned you into a Mew Mew."

"That much is obvious," Ichigo muttered sarcastically, ignoring the fact that she had no idea what a "mew mew" was.

Ryou ignored her. "The reason we started this is because..." He stopped, glanced around, and dropped his voice to a low whisper. "We're the leaders of the rebellion."

Ichigo's eyes snapped open. "You mean...the rumors are true? There's really a group of rebels?!"

Ryou glared at her. "The King and Queen are doing their best to quash these rumors, despite the fact that it is widely unknown to the public. We are a small group, but we have been gathering for many yeares." His eyes narrowed. "The time for the Rebels of Renegade to become known has come, and we need someone who will lead us to victory against the Cyniclons."

Ichigo gulped. "And you want _me _to do it?"

"You? By yourself?" Ryou snorted. "Not a chance. There are four other girls with similar powers who you will team up with, each bearing a similar mark to yours."

"Mark? I don't have a mark."

Ryou paused. "You haven't seen it?" He leaned forward slightly and brought his hand to her, resting it on her leg. Ichigo felt her cheeks flare up, then let out an ear-splitting shriek as he lifted the skirt of her dress up. Keiichiro seemed completely unconcerned as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"There." Ryou leaned back, smiling smugly. Ichigo's cheeks were the same shade as her hair, but the color faded as her embarrasment was taken over by shock. There, on her right thigh, was a heart-shaped mark. Beneath it was something that resembled whiskers. Ichigo tugged her skirt back down, still stunned.

"Of course, these marks will be hidden," Ryou added. "But there will be other ways to identify them. For one, you'll have an overwhelming urge to protect them when they're in harm's way, and you're there to witness it. They may have some animal characteristics like you, too."

"You mean like how I have sudden craving for fish, and that I'm as flexible as an acrobat?" she asked, slightly dazed.

"Others won't share the same features," Ryou admitted. "What do your characteristics remind you of?"

"A cat," Ichigo responded automatically.

"And Iriomote Wildcat, to be exact," he added. "An endangered species from a century ago."

"But...how did you do this? And why?"

Ryou looked out the window. "One hundred years ago, my ancestors found out that there was something approaching the Earth, and it contained life. They approached their goverment to warn them, but they were scorned and laughed at. They tried to create something, anything, that would help them defend the Earth." His voice lowered. "Before they could test it, the Cyniclons arrived and took over. They hid their research away. A few years ago, I uncovered the data and perfected it. Only now have I been able to use it. During that time, though, Keiichiro and I have gathered a small army. What we need are strong leaders that will guide us to victory."

"And that isn't you?" Ichigo asked.

Keiichiro shook his head. "It's not either of us," he told her gently. "We need someone who can match up to the Cyniclons power. You, along with four others, will ignite a spark that will give others the hope that they haven't had in years."

Ichigo was silent. "What makes you think I'll say yes?" she asked quietly.

"Because you're still angry."

The maid looked at him strangely. "Angry? About what?"

Ryou leaned forward. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're angry about what happened to your father, when he was chosen as a Selected."

"The Selected" was the name the people had given those who were chosen to 'participate' in the Chimera Hunt. Her father had been selected, and had died. Ichigo remembered being forced to watch her father's slaughter as dozens of Chimeras pounced on him, ripping him to shreds. She remembered seeing her mother sob and cry, and her own cheeks damp with tears.

She had only been ten at the time.

"If you help us," Ryou continued, "you could get revenge on the Cyniclons, avenge your father."

Ichigo was silent. She stared out the window, watching the servants hustle about, going through their day, completely ignoring the Royal Carriage roll past them.

"I don't want revenge," she said finally. "But if I can defeat the Cyniclons...then I can save others from the fate my father suffered. I can stop more lives from being endangered by them."

Ryou smiled slightly. "You're willing to help?"

"On two conditions." Ichigo turned to the two men, her expression serious. "One, you will answer any questions that I have that comes on being a...Mew Mew, or anything else."

Keiichiro nodded. "Of course. And the second?"

Ichigo paused. "You'll give me paper and a pen whenever I ask for it."

The two men exchanged a glance, puzzled, but turned back to her and nodded. "Very well."

Ichigo smiled lightly. "I'm glad."

Just then, the carriage stopped. A few seconds later, the carriage door opened. "Lord Shirogane, Lord Akasaka," he said, ignoring Ichigo. "We have arrived at the palace."

As the two men stepped down onto the ground, Ichigo looked up at the glimmering glass palace and gulped.

Her new life had just begun.

* * *

"Ah, Ichigo Momomiya, yes?"

Ichigo smiled slightly at the woman, feeling nervous. "Ah, yes," she mumbled.

The woman smiled gently. "Don't worry. It's a bit overwhelming at first, but you get used to it. My name is Rei Nishina, the Head Maid of the Royal Palace."

"It's nice to meet you, Nishina," Ichigo said, bowing her head.

Nishina smiled. "Please, call me Rei," she told Ichigo. "Everyone does." She turned on her heel and gestured to Ichigo. "Please, follow me," she called over her shoulder. "I'm going to show you to the servant's quarters. You'll have some fresh clothes, and a list of your daily chores for every day of the week."

Ichigo nodded. "Okay."

"I should warn you, though," Rei continued. "Whenever we're hosting a special event, we're required to work hard. Cooks must prepare their best, maids must clean the palace until it sparkles or help nobles with their outfits. It may sound simple, but it's far more hectic than you think."

The maid nodded. "I see."

"Ah, here we are." Rei stopped at a small, wooden door. "I hope you don't mind; it's rather small, but I hope you're comfortable." She opened the door, and Ichigo's eyes popped out.

True, the room was pretty small, but it was much bigger than the room she had shared with Moe and Miwa back in the Mistress' home. The walls were a brilliant white, and a closet filled with maid outfits hung on the shelves. A bed with pristine white covers lay in the middle of the room. In the corner were soft-looking blankets (probably for winter). There was also a fireplace, with firewood in a heaping pile right next to it.

"You'll be expected to clean up your room," Rei told her. "You will have to collect or buy your own firewood, and the same goes with a flint or matches." She paused. "I don't think that you will need any more blankets during the winter, and if you outgrow anything, you can talk to our tailor, Yomogi Midorikawa. She's very kind, but I suggest you try your best to earn some money before you see her. She struggles very much, and it would probably be a good idea to help her as much as we can, seeing how much she does for us."

Ichigo nodded and bowed again. "Thank you, Nishi—Rei. I look forward to my job tomorrow."

Rei smiled kindly. "If you need any help finding your way around the palace, some of our more expirenced maids will show you around. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. You're to report to the kitchen at five a.m sharp to meet me. Now, I'll leave you to get settled in."

Once Rei had left, Ichigo collapsed on the bed, sighing heavily.

Yup, this was it. Her new life. As a maid, and now, as a Mew.

With all the things that were happening to her, Ichigo didn't think that anything else could surprise her.

She was wrong. Very, very wrong.


	5. Five

**Merry late Christmas, everyone!**

**Don't own TMM...**

* * *

"Wake up!"

Ichigo fell face-first on the ground in surprise. She jumped up, glaring at the man who disrupted her sleep. "You!" she hissed. "What is your _problem?"_

Ryou put a hand on his chest, his expression one of mock hurt. "If anything, you should be thanking me," he said innocently. "You would've been late to the first day on the job."

That woke her. She jumped up, scrambling to her closet to find the proper work clothes. "Get out!" she screeched. "I need to get dressed!"

"That's why I'm here." He handed her a box. "I don't know if Rei told you, but in addition to being a maid, you will also be a server."

Ichigo paused. "Really?" She took the box in her hands.

"That will be your server uniform," Ryou told her. "You're expected to be there at breakfast, lunch, and dinner in order to serve meals to the royal family, guests, so on, so on. Then, after each meal, you will change into proper work clothes in order to report to your cleaning duties."

It sounded simple enough. Ichigo gave a slow nod, before opening the box. She looked up, screeched, "GET OUT!" and pushed him towards the door.

* * *

When Ichigo emerged, she was wearing a high-collared red and white dress with a heart-shaped apron, her red hair down, and a lace headband in her hair. On her feet were black and pink shoes with pink socks. Not accustomed to wearing such things, she shuffled awkwardly, trying to get used to the feeling.

_**I better hurry. **_

It was, all in all, very easy to find the kitchen. It was helpful that she was able to smell better, and the scent of baking bread and other goods wafted into her nose. Eagerly making her way into the kitchen, she was surprised to find that it was completely empty, save for Keiichiro.

"Um," she said hesitantly, "where are everyone else? And what are you doing here?"

Keiichiro looked surprised to see her. "Oh, Ichigo," he said. "The rest of the servers are still asleep. You're very early. Good job!"

"What do you mean?"

He raisd an eyebrow. "You had about another two hours of sleep before you had to report for your duties."

Ichigo's blood boiled. _**That jerk...he woke me! And he probably knew it, too!**_

"As for why I'm here," he continued, "I am the castle's best chef, along with being a 'very smart person', as they say." He rolled out his sleeves and started to whisk something in a bowl. "Well, since you're already here, you can help me cook."

The girl shook her head furiously. "You really don't want to do that," she said. "Didn't the Mistress—"

"Your former Mistress," Keiichiro corrected.

"Yes, my former Mistress...didn't she tell you I once accidently set the kitchen on fire?"

The man frowned. "No, not that I recall..."

"It's just _really _not a good idea."

"Oh, I assure you, it won't be that bad," he said, chuckling. "I mean, not much can happen in such a short time. Just gather the ingredients I require."

"O-of course."

For several minutes, there was silence, except for the occasional, "Salt, please" or "Hand me that knife, please". Finally, Ichigo couldn't stand it.

"You said that when I see the mark, or have an overwhelming urge to protect someone, they're my teammate," she said, slightly hesitant. "But...isn't there another way to identify them?"

Keiichiro paused. "Well, yes," he said. "If they aren't within the area, they will have an urge to come to the Royal Palace; that might make it easier for you, but if they were to be caught, it would be bad."

Ichigo bit her lip. "I see."

There was a long silence until, a few hours later, the rest of the server's arrived, filling the empty room with their loud chatter.

* * *

"Yes, quite delightful indeed," a Cyniclon woman was saying as Ichigo poured her another glass of water. "My little entertainers are very delightful; a few magic acts, some jokes, and, for the main event, my star pupil. She has quite the dancing skills."

"Is that so?" The King himself sat across from the woman, watching her curiously. "I want to make sure my son will be very much entertained when he returns home."

The maid who was serving him breakfast waited patiently, before asking, "Will that be all, my Lord?"

"Yes. All of the servers are dismissed.

As the rest of the maids filed out of the room quietly, Ichigo shut the doors behind them, but even as she did, she still caught snips of their conversation.

"I assure you, my King, that your son will be very much entertained," the woman was saying.

"And this star dancer of yours?"

"I found her a long time ago dancing to music outside of a theater. With a few adjustments, she is now the grand finale of my show. Trust me, everyone in the crowd, including your son, will definetly not be disappointed."

With that, the doors shut. Ichigo turned on her heel and left, thinking it over. Maybe one of those entertainers were these teammates that Ryou and Keiichiro were talking about! Maybe...

Her train of thought was cut off as she bumped into someone, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Watch where you're going!" a voice snapped.

"Excuse me?" Ichigo asked, annoyance lacing her words. "You bumped into me!"

The girl was shorter than Ichigo by at least three inches. Her hair, a blue-gray color, was up in two buns, and she wore a simple gray dress. She glared up at Ichigo, opening her mouth to say something, before taking a deep breath and shaking her head.

"I don't have time for this," she muttered. Then, louder, she said, "I need you to take me to my Mistress. She is supposed to be dining with the King." She glanced at Ichigo's outfit. "I'm assuming you're one of the servers?"

She wanted to smack this girl _so _badly, but she forced a smile on her face. "Yes, I am. Would you like me to show you to the dining hall?"

"Of course I do," the girl said slowly, as though talking to a small child. Ichigo balled her hands into fist.

"Right this way," she said through clenched teeth. The girl smirked, following Ichigo as the maid retraced her steps. When they arrived at the door, Ichigo glanced at the door. "What's your name?"

"Tell them that Mint Aizawa is here to see her Mistress."

_**With that attitude, she may as well be her own Mistress! Honestly, she's only a human, just like me!**_

"Excuse me," Ichigo said as she opened the doors. The Cyniclons inside stopped talking, turning their attention towards Ichigo.

"Yes?" the Cyniclon woman asked, glaring at Ichigo.

"A Mint Aizawa is here to speak with her Mistress."

At once, the glare vanished, replaced with a look of delight. "My King," she crowed as Mint entered the room, "this is the star I was telling you about! My greatest sucess! If she weren't human, I could claim her as my daughter."

"My Lord," Mint said, bowing, all traces of her earlier rudeness gone.

"I'll be going now," Ichigo muttered, walking out and shutting the door behind her. With any luck, she would find another one of her teammates soon; she wasn't going to be able to stand doing this alone.

* * *

"Did you hear?"

"No. What?"

"There are rumors of a rebellion going around..."

"Really? I never heard that..."

"That's because..."

He frowned, glaring at the two talking men. They noticed his glare and automatically shut up, and switched to a more safer subject.

Rumors of a rebellion? Ha! Like that would ever happen. Even so, it was his job that these rumors didn't get out of hand. But if anyone was ever brave enough to actually try to make that rumor true, they'd be beheaded before they could say "the Prince".

As he got up, he pulled the cloak over his head. His mission was useless if anyone found out who he was. He also kept his eyes downcast, to make sure no one would be able to recognize him.

"Well?"

He glanced at his best friend, the only one who really knew who he was.

"I only heard that rumor once," he responded. "But the men who were talking silenced quickly when they saw me glare at them."

His friend glared at him. "You know the consequences if they recognized you."

"Yes, I do." He gave a slow nod. "You don't have much faith in me, do you?"

The silence was his answer.

"You wound me," was his dry responce to his friend's silence.

His friend ignored him, choosing to study the town. "As for me, I have heard it three times. I think this town may know something."

"And?"

"We must release the Chimeras."

He bristled. "But these people seem innocent enough...just rumors that they're repeating. Something like a child's fairy tale."

"Even so, we cannot take the chance. You are a good person, but if these people have a chance to kill off every single on of us, they will take it. We must strike first. Do you understand?"

He hesitated. "But...I don't know. I don't think..."

"I have no doubt that you will one day be an excellent ruler. But if you want to live to see that day, you must act. Show them that you will not take petty rumors such as this."

He hesitated for a little longer, before giving a reluctant nod of his head. "Send the letter to my father," he said. "Tell him to release the Chimeras onto the village."

* * *

**Wow...that was boring. I'm _really _sorry, you guys! I promise you, I will make the next chapter as action-y as I can! **


	6. Six

**I... am so sorry.**

**I honsetly can't believe this. For one, I've accidently hit the back button _five _times, and most of the time I keep forgetting to hit the save button, not to mention I threw up two times last night, so I'm not feeling that great. **

**So, yeah. I feel pretty stupid (and sick). Not to mention that this is _not _a really great chapter. **

**I AM SO SORRY. **

**I DO NOT OWN TMM. **

* * *

Mint Aizawa was, to put it simply, a pain in the neck. Ichigo had honestly never met anyone so _snobby. _And that was putting it mildly.

"Yes, I will also require my breakfast to be brought to me. I have much training to do while I'm here, so that way, when I perform, I will be _perfect," _the girl had told her. "So I can't be bothered to show up during meals. My Mistress would scold me, anyway."

So that was exactly what Ichigo was doing.

As she made her way up the long flight of stairs (how many stairs did they need, anyway?), she allowed herself to fume. What right did that girl have, bossing her around like that? She was a human, just like herself! She had no right!

"That Mistress of hers probably spoils her to no end," Ichigo grumbled to herself. She glanced back at the food, which was starting to rapidly cool.

"Hello?" Ichigo called once she arrived outside of Mint's door. It was closed, and she frowned, waiting for someone to answer.

No one did.

"Hello?" Ichigo called again, louder this time. The door opened, and the girl poked her head out, looking annoyed.

"Yes?" Mint asked, her voice curt.

"Dinner," came Ichigo's flat responce. "Get it while it's still...semi-hot."

"Oh...yes." The girl snatched the plate out of Ichigo's hands. "Good-bye."

With that, Mint promptly slammed the door in the maid's face.

Ichigo stared at the door, her mouth hanging open. Never, in her entire life, had she ever met a human so _rude. _Sure, maybe there were _Cyniclons _that were ruder, but they were a completely different story.

Turning on her heel, her mouth set in a thin line as she retreated back down the stairs, muttering, "I oughta test my new powers on her. Yeah, she could be target practice." She stopped, a small smile gracing her lips. "That would be a lot of fun."

Before she could resume walking, she ran smack into someone.

"Good, just the maid I was looking for!"

Ichigo looked up at the earnest face with Shirogane. She rubbed her nose, which had hit his chest. Surprisingly, it hurt. A lot.

"Can I help you?" she asked sourly.

The blonde-haired man raised an eyebrow. "Someone's in a good mood," he remarked, his tone both sarcastic and bemused.

"I know I am." Ichigo shuffled awkwardly. "Is there a reason you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Two reasons, actually." His voice lowered. "I've recieved word that there is Chimera activity nearby."

Ichigo gave him a flat look. "Yes. The Chimera Shelter is no more than a five minute walk from here. I suppose you _would _find Chimera activity."

The man shot her a dirty look. "My point is," he ground out, "is that there's a nearby village not far from here. I found out that there's a Parasite Alien lurking somewhere nearby. The Trade Provience, it's called."

"And you want me to go after it." Of course she knew what a Parasite was. Who didn't, honestly? They seemed harmless...until they turned animals into bloodthirsty creatures.

"Yes. You have your pendant?"

"Is that what it's called?" Ichigo dug into her pocket and held it out. Her eyes narrowed. "How did you find out, anyway?"

"My latest creation."

As if on cue, a small, round pink ball of fur popped up next to his head. It had large, pink cat-like ears and large pink eyes. It floated around the blonde man's head, making little chirping noises.

It was the most adorable thing Ichigo had ever seen.

"It's so _cute!" _the girl squealed as she stared at it.

"I call him R2000," Ryou said proudly. "He's able to detect Chimeras, and is able to distribute pendants when you locate your teammates."

Ichigo giggled as the pink ball rubbed against her face. "R2000 is such a boring name," she muttered. "You need a new name!"

The man rolled his eyes. "That's not the point," he insisted. "You need to fight this Chimera."

"Is it another wild Chimera attack?" she asked.

"I...I don't know." He frowned. "But you're going to find out."

Ichigo could only nod. After all, she _did _agree to do this. She might as well try to help wherever she could.

* * *

"You...wanted to see me?"

The Cyniclon woman turned her head, her eyes narrowed, before they brightened. "Mint! Mint! Please, come in, come in."

Mint knew that her Mistress treated her better than most Cyniclons did with their servants. Being the star of her Mistress' circus, she was usually showered with gifts. Normally, she didn't really care for them, but that was before _him._

Miki. Her dog, who she loved deeply.

Mint realized that Miki was just another mouth to feed, but when her Mistress had brought that up, she promised multiple times that she would be the one to take care of him.

She just _knew _this was about Miki.

"Is something the matter, Mistress?" Mint asked shyly, bowing her head.

"Yes...it's about Miki."

Yup. Knew it.

"What about him?"

"I've told you before that Miki is just another mouth to feed—"

Mint's head snapped up. "I've told you, I would feed Miki with the food from my own plate!" she said desperatly.

Her Mistress shot her a dirty look, and the girl automatically snapped her mouth shut.

"As I was saying, since we are to perform for His Royal Highness once he returns, we cannot simply keep a dog in the castle! Imagine, a mutt running among the King's palace! He is the ruler of the Capitol of this planet! Word would spread! We would be ruined! And all because of a dog running around in the Royal Palace."

Mint felt a lump form in her throat. Her Mistress couldn't be asking...

"But," the Cyniclon woman continued, "I know how much he means to you. You're grandmother lives in the Trading Province, yes? You could drop Miki off with her until after the Prince's return party. I'm sure she'll take very good care of him."

"I'll go outside and get Miki right away," Mint said sincerly, bowing to her Mistress. Relief flooded through her. Miki was still going to be with them.

"Come now, child, I know he's in your room. That's why you wouldn't let that maid in."

Mint looked away, her eyes staring at the floor. "Oh." She should've known that her Mistress would've found out.

"Now go, run along! She's agreed to meet you in the market. You can't possibly miss her. Really, it is rather impossible."

The human could only smile brightly as she quickly left the room, a skip evident in her step.

* * *

The Trade Province was exactly that.

A trading place.

Sure, the marketplace in Renegade was busy, but she had never seen such a place before. So completely packed, people trading everywhere. The smell of baking bread filled her nostrils, and the chatter was pleasant.

Ichigo stared at the place in awe.

_**What a nice place,** _she thought. _**I hope that whatever is lurking around here won't hurt anybody. That'd be a nightmare.**_

"Watch it," grumbled a man as he bumped into her, causing her to stumble back a few feet.

_**Okay, maybe it's not so nice.**_

Ichigo wandered around the marketplace, looking around with wonder. Where on Earth should she _start? _The parasite could've taken a defenceless animal right now and attack the place!

Digging into her pocket, the girl was pleased to find a few coins inside. Maybe she could afford a little snack before she started this whole world-saving buisness...

Wandering over to a nearby stand, Ichigo's eyes automatically fell on a certain little snack.

"Excuse me," Ichigo said to the old woman running the stand. "What is this?"

The old woman's eyes glittered with pride. "Strawberry Shortcake," she told Ichigo proudly. "An old recipe that dates back to over one hundred years ago." She squinted at the girl. "What's your name, child?"

"Ichigo."

The woman smiled broadly. "Your name means 'strawberry', you know. Did you know that?"

The red-haired girl shook her head. "No, I didn't, actually. I've never even tried strawberries before."

"Ah, yes," the old woman said sadly. "They're extremely hard to come by these days."

Ichigo dug into her pocket. "How much?"

The old woman studied Ichigo. She smiled again. "Take it."

"R-really?"

"Sure. Go on."

Ichigo had no idea what to say. "T-thank you. How can I ever repay you?"

The old woman shook her head. "I expect that when you leave this place, you'll never see me again. This is a big place, after all. Very easy to get lost."

Before Ichigo could respond, someone shouted, "Grandmother! Grandmother!"

The girl turned, coming face-to-face with Mint.

Great.

"You!" the two shouted at the same time.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the palace?" Mint asked her snidely.

"I could say the same for you!" Ichigo returned hotly.

"I have permission from my Mistress to be here," the dark-haired girl told her smugly. "What about you? Don't _you _have permission?"

"Yes."

Mint stuck her nose in the air. "That doesn't matter." She turned back to her Grandmother, panic clearly evident in her voice. "Have you seen Miki? Did he run by here? _Please _tell me you at least saw a little bit of fur."

The old woman shook her head. "No, I didn't. Did he escape?"

"Yes!" Mint cried. Ichigo was surprised to see tears gathering in the girl's eyes, and silently debated on whether or not she should leave.

"He's right there." The old woman pointed somewhere to her left. Sure enough, a small dog was sitting there, staring at the three with unblinking eyes.

"Miki!" Mint cried. Relief seemed to make the girl collapse. "Come here, Miki."

The dog gave no indication that he was about to move.

"Miki," Mint said, a little bit more stern, "_come."_

Miki's face drew up into a snarl, and a large growl came through his throat. Mint took a step back, confused.

The dog expanded in size, growing larger and larger until he was twice the size of a house. He let out a huge roar, and the ground beneath them shook as it ran straight for Mint, Ichigo, and the old woman.

"Chimera! Chimera!" Ichigo heard someone say in a small, tinny voice.

**_That's a lot of help,_ **she thought sourly.


	7. Seven

**I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, or any of its characters.**

**I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG.**

**I REALLY, REALLY AM.**

**SO...GO AHEAD AND READ.**

**I'M NOT STOPPING YOU.**

**REALLY, I'M NOT.**

**GO RIGHT AHEAD.**

**NO ONE IS STOPPING YOU FROM READING, NOW.**

**Oh, just read...**

* * *

People were screaming, running away as fast as they could from the Chimera. The great beast roared loudly, its eyes fixed on Mint, who stayed frozen in the crowd.

"Miki?" Mint whispered. Somehow, Ichigo could hear the girl even over the loud screams of the crowd.

"Don't go any closer!" Ichigo shouted. "It's dangerous! That thing will kill you!"

"That_ thing," _Mint snapped, giving Ichigo an icy glare, "is my dog, Miki!" She returned her gaze to the dog, smiling softly. "Miki, that's you, right? You're still my little puppy, aren't you?"

The Chimera let out a howl.

"Mint! Get away from it!" her grandmother hollered, but the old woman was swept into the crowd. Ichigo fought her way past the running people and toward Mint.

"Run, Mint!" she yelled. "Run!"

The girl continued to ignore her. "Miki, come here," she called.

The Chimera snarled at her and began to run straight at her.

By now, the whole area was partially cleared. All that remained were empty stands, herself, the Chimera, and Mint.

For such a large place, they sure could clear out pretty quickly when the need for it came.

_**Should I...? **_

They were all alone; no one was there to watch her, except for Mint.

She had to. This was her new duty, right?

_**Why did I agree to this? **_Ichigo thought miserably, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the pendant. Right now, it didn't matter; she just had to save Mint, no matter how snobby the girl was.

By now, the Chimera was towering over the girl, who had fallen on the ground.

There was no time to waste.

"Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorpho-SIS!"

The transformation took over her again. A blinding light, a pleasant tingling all over her body, the warmth that surged through her. It took her breath away, and she smiled softly. Distantly, she could hear cries of shock. The light, she concluded faintly, must be pretty blinding.

Just as it had suddenly begun, it was over. She landed on the ground lightly, a frown etched on her face. With one leap, she was standing in front of the Chimera, her back to Mint.

"Hey, parasite!" Ichigo yelled. "Release that poor dog! Or else...or else..." she trailed off, before she blurted out, "I will defeat you, for the future of the Earth!"

A small 'meow' escaped her lips. Without really knowing what she was saying, or doing, she made a scratching gesture at the Chimera, a smile gracing her lips.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Mint cried. "I demand you tell me what's going on!"

Ichigo looked over her shoulder at the girl. "I'll explain later," she said.

Without warning, the Chimera raised its paw and smashed it towards the ground, intent on hitting the two girls. Ichigo grabbed Mint and jumped away, barely avoiding getting hit. Rocks flew from the ground, causing it to go everywhere.

"I have to finish this up!" Ichigo said, mostly to herself instead of Mint. Turning back to face the Chimera, she held out a hand, exclaiming, "Strawberry Bell!"

The object appeared in her hand, but before she could say or do anything, however, a piece of rock managed to hit her on the knee. Letting out a cry of pain, Ichigo grabbed it, trying to lessen the pain. Taking the opprotunity, the Chimera once against struck, managing to hit Ichigo and send her sailing through the air, before landing painfully on the ground.

Grunting, she struggled to stand up, but her knee throbbed painfully. Gripping the heart-shaped weapon tightly, she forced herself to stand up.

"No!" Mint cried. "Don't hurt him!"

Ichigo looked over at the girl. She had almost forgotten that the girl was there, even though she had just saved her life no more than two minutes ago.

"What are you saying?" Ichigo shouted. "We'll both be killed!"

The girl ignored her. She turned to Miki, desperation evident on her face. "Please, Miki! Stop doing this!"

Turning back to Ichigo, Mint ran over and attempted to help her up, before being knocked over to the side, crying out in pain. The back of her dress had been torn off, and she crashed to the ground painfully.

Ichigo felt a stab of rage go through her. "All right, that's it!" she growled. "Let's finish you off, Chimera!"

"Wait! Wait!" a new voice chimed in. Caught off guard, Ichigo faltered, and the Chimera struck her in the stomach with its tail. Sailing backwards, she landed right next to Mint.

The furry pink robot was buzzing around her head, repeating, "Teammate! Teammate!"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked irritably. The little robot wasn't looking so cute now.

"Teammate!" the furry robot insisted. "Teammate!" It floated over to Mint and hovered right over her.

Ichigo glanced back at the Chimera. It looked like it was getting ready to run towards her. Taking another look at Mint, her mouth dropped open. Right there, on the girl's back, was a mark in the shape of two wings.

Shaking, Mint struggled to stand. "What're you talking about?" she said through clenched teeth.

"It can't be..." Ichigo mumbled.

The pink robot flew in front of Mint, opening its mouth wide (it has a mouth?!) wide. Its mouth was a swirling light blue color, and out came a small, familiar object.

A pendant. Just like her own.

"What's this?" Mint demanded, glaring at Ichigo. "What's going on?"

"You're...you're one of my companions," the pink-haired girl said slowly, as though trying to process the information herself. "You're like me!"

"What are you talking about? I don't want cat ears!" Mint snapped.

Ignoring the insult, Ichigo continued. "You can do what I just did! You can transform, just like me!"

A low growl came from the Chimera. Turning their heads, the Chimera looked like it was getting ready to attack.

Standing up, Ichigo said, "You have to transform! You have to help me defeat this thing!"

"That's ridiculous!" Mint cried. "How on Earth am I supposed to do that?"

Ichigo didn't answer. Instead, she summoned her heart-shaped weapon again and held it in front of her. "You have to!" she insisted. "It comes from your heart!"

The Chimera leapt.

"Ribbon Strawberry—"

"Stop it!"

Startled, Ichigo faltered in her attack, and once more, the Chimera knocked her aside.

"Stop it!" Mint shouted, snatching the pendant from the ground. "STOP IT!"

A blinding blue light came from the girl. Startled, the Chimera stopped, but its growls became louder, sensing more danger. Ichigo saw Mint stretch backwards and press the pendant right on the mark. "Mew Mew Mint! Metamorpho-SIS!"

Once the glow died away, Mint stood there, blinking in astonishment. Her blue-gray hair turned a dark blue, still in its signature look, and her eyes, which were once a dark amber, were now a brilliant blue. Her dress was simplier than Ichigo's, reaching only just past her waist. A garter was on left leg, and both of her arms. Ankle boots covered her feet, and her hands were covered in gloves.

Not to mention the fact she had wings and a bird's tail.

"What...what on Earth?" Mint exclaimed, staring down at herself in surprise.

"You did it!" Ichigo cried, grinning widely. "You really—!"

She was inturrupted by the Chimera knocking her to the ground again.

"You know," she said to the ground, "I'm getting really tired of that."

The Chimera turned its attention to Mint and lashed out. The girl, fortunately, jumped out of the way right in time.

"I feel like I'm flying!" Mint cried, sounding like she was going to be sick.

Ichigo jumped up from her place in the ground. "Hurry!" she cried. "You have to attack it!"

The newly-transformed girl landed right next to her. "What?" she asked, her face blank.

"You have to attack it!" Ichigo repeated, pointing at the Chimera. Once again summoning her weapon, she said, "Listen to your heart and call out the words!"

"Don't be stupid!" Mint cried. "I can never do that!"

"You transformed, didn't you?" Ichigo shot back. "If you can transform and fly about a dozen feet into the air, you can at least listen to your heart and summon a weapon!"

"But..."

Without a warning, the Chimera lunged towards them. Ichigo kept her eyes trained on Mint.

"Let's do this, okay?"

Mint hesistated for a few seconds, before nodding slowly. "Okay."

Before the Chimera landed on them, the two leapt up into the air, barely missing the beast's sharp claws.

"Ribbon Strawberry CHECK!"

A burst of pink light came from Ichigo's weapon, managing to hit the Chimera on the back. It turned towards them, snarling. Obviously, the attack hadn't done much.

"Go, Mint! You can do it!" the pink-haired girl urged.

"I...I can do it," Mint said slowly. She frowned. "I can do it!"

_**I hope you can, anyway...**_

With a determined look on her face, Mint raised her hand. "Mint...Arrow!"

She made a gesture with her hand, as though tossing something into the air. In a small burst of light, a small bow formed, an arrow already nocked. Catching it in her hand, Mint spun around three times, before aiming the bow, which had expanded in size. "Ribbon...Mint...ECHO!"

The arrow was set loose, and struck the Chimera right in the chest. With a burst of light, the Chimera shrank to size, leaving only the dog from before a jellyfish-like creature, which the robot promptly swallowed.

Mint blinked, and the weapon disappeared as she released it from her grip. "I...I purified a Chimera," she said dumbly. She bent down as Miki trotted over to her, and smiled brightly when the small dog licked her on the cheek.

"I'm glad your back, Miki," she said to the dog, before looking at Ichigo with bright eyes. "I purified a Chimera! I didn't even think it was possible!"

Ichigo scratched her head. "You know, that sounds kind of familiar."

The robot floated over, chirping excitedly. "New teammate come back to palace! New teammate come back to palace!"

Mint looked confused. "What for?"

Ichigo smiled softly. "So you can hear the whole story."

* * *

"Mint, what on Renegade are you _wearing?"_

Said girl set down a tray in front of her mistress, adjusting her serving outfit, a similar one to Ichigo's, only blue.

"You see, Mistress," the girl said humbly, bowing her head, "since the prince will not be coming for several weeks, I figured that I shall earn my place in this palace. I have decided to help around in the palace to work for all of us."

One of the noblewomen seated at the table nodded approvingly. "Such a respectful human! She works much harder than my servants at my mansion!" she gushed.

Ichigo clenched her fists. _**That little...! Acting like a kind, humble girl! I'm surprised she even considered this idea, let alone went through with it! **_

Mint's mistress smiled. "I see," she said, nodding. "I'm proud of you, Mint. I'm sure the King and Queen will be quite pleased. You are dismissed."

The two maids walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen in silence. Inside the kitchen, it was empty, except for Keiichiro and Ryou.

"I'm glad you agreed," Ryou told Mint, smiling. "It's great to have you on the team."

"Yes, well..." Mint gave him a haughty smile. "At first I thought it was a ridiculous idea, but I suppose if I'm one of the few human beings with the proper DNA...until we find the rest of our teammates, we'll still have to battle Chimeras, right?"

Keiichiro gave her a confused smile. "Well, yes..."

"I suppose the people will at least need to look at one gorgeous member of our team until we find the rest," Mint said, sighing, as though truly saddened by the thought.

Ichigo raised a fist, her whole body trembling with anger. "Are you calling me ugly?"

And thus began a beautiful friendship.


	8. Eight

**Woo hoo! Earlier update than usual! **

**I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew~**

* * *

"I can't believe this happened!"

Ichigo was running at top speed, struggling to put her hair into its usual pigtails as she went. "I'm late! And it's all Mint's fault for not waking me!"

Since Mint had joined Ichigo, it was agreed that Mint would take the vacant servant's room next to hers. Of course, this being said, they also agreed to wake each other if the time came.

Ichigo growled. That spoiled brat! When she got her hands on her...!

"I'm here!" Ichigo shouted, pushing the doors open. She bent down, putting her hands on her knees and panting.

The only people inside were Mint and Keiichiro. The younger girl, who was sitting on one of the counters, raised an eyebrow at the red-haired maid.

"It's about time," she sniffed. "I've been waiting for over two hours."

"Why didn't you wake me?!" the girl shouted. "I overslept! It's..." she stopped. "Where are all the other servers?"

Keiichiro gave her a smile. "Oh, they've been excused for the day. It's just you and Aizawa."

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "I hate you all."

Mint snickered. "Don't be so bitter. After all, we have..." The girl tilted her head, trying to think. "About another hour to prepare, and some of the ingredients are missing for today's breakfast, so Akasaka wants you to go to the marketplace to pick them up!"

Before Ichigo could protest, Akasaka handed her a slip of paper. "Be sure to go to all the stores that are written in there. They provide the most freshest ingredients. And here's some money for them. Be sure to come back at seven o'clock sharp!"

The red-haired girl's mouth dropped open. "But...but..."

"Go along, Ichigo!" Mint said cheerfully. "Be sure to come back soon!"

With that, Ichigo was shoved out of the kitchen. For several moments, she stood there, dumbfounded.

"OH NO!"

* * *

Ichigo counted the things from the list. "Let's see...eggs, check. Cheese, check. Milk, check." Reciting a few more ingredients in her head, the maid turned to the store-keeper. "Excuse me, what time is it?"

He tilted his head. "I'd say around...six thirty."

Panic waved through Ichigo. She was going to be late! And if Akasaka didn't have the ingredients, the royal family wouldn't have their breakfast. That alone promised punishment.

Tossing the money onto the counter, she said a quick, "Thank you," before dashing out at top speed.

"If only I hadn't overslept!" Ichigo groaned to herself as she made her way past the other people in the market. Making a sharp turn, she hoped that it would be a quicker way to arrive at the palace.

It happened so fast.

First, she was running as fast as her legs could carry her, trying to keep the contents in her basket from spilling out. Then, there was a girl in front of her, eyes wide with surprise as she spotted Ichigo at the exact same time. Then, they were both on the ground, the contents in their hands next to them.

"Ow," Ichigo muttered.

The girl she bumped into gasped. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry! This wouldn't have happened if I were paying attention to where I was going!" She didn't dare look at Ichigo in the eye.

"No, no," Ichigo said, waving her hand. "It's not your fault. It was mine. I'm terribly sorry."

The girl walked over to her, bending down, still trying to not make eye contact. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? This wouldn't have happened if I were just paying attention!"

"It's alright!" Ichigo assured the girl. She jumped up, smiling widely. "See? Nothing's wrong. Besides, it was all my fault." With a start, Ichigo stopped and peered at the girl, who was starting to collect her things that had fallen. On the ground were impressive pieces of cloth.

"Do I know you?" Ichigo asked suddenly.

Pondering for a few moments, Ichigo continued to stare at the girl, who had finished collecting her things.

The girl set the pile down, and grabbed Ichigo's things. "Here," she murmured, handing Ichigo her basket (the eggs, to her relief, hadn't cracked). When the girl did look up, Ichigo finally made eye contact with her. Suddenly, the memory hit her like an arrow.

The girl seemed to remember, too. "It's you!" she gasped, bowing her head again. "You saved me from one of the Royal Guards! I thought I'd never get the chance to thank you! And I completely crashed into you! I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, it's not your fault," Ichigo said. "Are you alright?"

The girl looked at her with surprise. "Pardon me?"

"Are you alright?" Ichigo repeated.

The girl nodded slowly. "I...I've been wanting to thank you," she murmured. "That was dangerous, you know, sticking up for me like that. If I hadn't been so clumsy, you wouldn't have had to defend me!"

"It...it was nothing," Ichigo answered honestly. To be truthful, the red-haired maid still didn't know what exactly happened that day, either.

The green-haired girl's eyes widened, and she ran back to collect the cloth she had been holding.

_**What a shy soul, **_Ichigo thought, feeling sad. If her Mistress or Master was cruel, then a girl like her wouldn't stand a chance. And what was up with those cloths?

"Hey, Lettuce! What's taking you so long?!"

"We're leaving, so hurry up!" another voice added.

Turning around, Ichigo saw three girls around their age, their arms crossed. They looked right past her towards the green-haired girl.

"I'm coming!" the girl called. Then, returning her attention to Ichigo, she said, "I'm sorry. Good-bye!" With that, she raced off in the direction of the girls. Ichigo watched her go, before reality smacked her right in the face.

"I'm late!"

With that, she continued at top speed towards the palace.

* * *

"Oh, good, you brought them," Akasaka said to Ichigo when he noticed her in the kitchen.

The girl was breathing heavily. "I'm so sorry I'm late. We're going to get punished for not getting them their meal...it's all my fault!"

Mint walked inside. "What are you talking about? The meals are almost done. I just finished serving the appetizers."

Ichigo's mouth dropped open. "But...I thought these ingredients were for today's meal!"

"Oh, no," Akasaka said, shaking his head. He sounded bemused. "This is for tomorrow's meals! I'm glad you brought them so quickly with five minutes to spare! It would've been ugly if only one server served all the noble's food."

Mint nodded. She looked rather smug at Ichigo's worn figure. "Yes, it would have. They would have thought you were a lazy human. Oh, that would have been simply tragic."

Ichigo gritted her teeth, but before she could do anything, a loud _DING! _echoed through the kitchen.

"That would be today's breakfast," Akasaka said cheerfully. He pulled on some oven mitts and started to pull out the steaming meal.

Mint glanced at Ichigo, acting like she had just noticed the state the red-haired girl was in. "Goodness, Ichigo," she exclaimed. "You look like you ran a marathon."

Ichigo glowered at Mint. _**I'm tired, and my entire body is sore. And it's all thanks to you...to you...to you DEVILS!**_

That's all it was for her! Work, work, work! She would wash the dishes, clear the table when the nobles left, fix up snacks and drinks for the younger nobles when they came into the kitchen, and did all her chores after that!

And what did Mint do?

She sat around, drinking tea.

_Tea._

Ichigo had found her the other day sitting at the table, sipping daintly at the little cup.

"Hey, you could help to, you know," the red-haired maid had snapped. "All you're doing is sitting there!"

Mint had shrugged. "It's my afternoon tea time. It can't be helped. If I don't drink it, I'll get a terrible headache."

"Who says you can decide that?!" she had shouted.

It couldn't be helped, though.

Later, when she had finally finished with all of her chores, Shirogane had randomly appeared, asking her if she was done.

"Yes, I am," she mumbled tiredly.

"Good. I want you to go out into the city and search for any signs of another Chimera attack."

And just like that, he walked away, leaving her behind.

That was _so _not fair.

_**Honestly...I feel...I feel like I'm just being used!**_

"Ichigo?" she heard Mint ask.

They were using her as a servant! She was already a servant for the Cyniclons; there was no way she was sinking to being a slave for humans!

Ever since she had agreed to become a Mew Mew, it had been working, fighting, searching for Chimera activity! That was practically all she ever did! She hadn't even had the chance to write a single letter to Moe and Miwa!

She was being overworked! That wasn't right.

There was no choice.

She would stand up for herself!

"You!" she snapped at Mint. The girl tilted her head, confused.

"What?" Mint asked.

"I demand you start helping me with the chores around the palace!" Ichigo demanded. "I want you to help me with everything around here! I'm sick of being overworked, and you're not helping me lighten the load?"

Akasaka attempted to speak. "Ah, girls...?"

Mint tossed her head, smirking and ignoring the olther man. "Well, why would I do that? The whole reason we have this rebellion is to _overthrow _the Cyniclons, remember? Why should we continue to kiss their feet?" Her haughty gaze met Ichigo's furious one. "Besides," she added, "what are you going to do? Scratch me?"

With a cry of rage, Ichigo launched herself at Mint, letting out a battle cry. Startled, Mint fell onto the ground, but before any further fighting could continue...

_RIIIIIP._

Both girls froze, before standing bolt upright. Mint's skirt had ripped horribly, leaving a wide, gaping hole that revealed too much of her legs for comfort.

"You!" Mint spat, pointing at Ichigo. "It's all your fault!"

"M-my fault?" Ichigo protested weakly, though she knew it was kind of her fault. She was the one who tackled her. Hot shame flooded Ichigo.

Akasaka quickly stepped in, handing Mint several pins. "This will have to do for now," he said. "After breakfast, I want you girls to go see the tailor, Yomogi Midorikawa. Ichigo, you still have some leftover money, correct?"

"Y-yes."

"You're going to pay for the dress, since you ripped it," he said sternly. "Midorikawa doesn't ask for the money right away, but it's not a good idea to try such a kind person's patience."

Ichigo nodded weakly. "Y-Yes sir."

Akasaka shook his head. "You two are teammates. You should try and get along better."

Mint glared at Ichigo. "Of course, sir," she said through gritted teeth, before grabbing two plates and marching out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Well?" Mint asked Ichigo.

"Well what?" the red-haired girl asked.

The shorter girl rolled her eyes. "We're supposed to be going to the tailor, remember? You know, to pay for the dress you ruined?"

Ichigo bit her lip. "We just need to throw the old leftovers out, then we'll go to the tailors. I promise, okay?"

Mint lifted her chin, glaring at Ichigo. "Whatever." She grabbed a bag of leftovers and stalked off, leaving the girl behind.

The maid sighed, readjusting the bag of leftovers in her arms. "Honestly," she muttered. "What a brat."

The two made their way outside before dumping the bags in a small container. Before they could go back in, however, they heard a girl giggling.

"Did you hear the rumor?" the voice whispered.

Turning their heads, the two saw four girls huddled together. Ichigo recognized the green-haired girl, and the three from earlier.

"There's a ghost of a young woman wandering the lake nearby at night," one of them, a girl with a headband in her auburn hair, said.

"I've heard the stories!" another said, a brunette with hair covering one of her eyes. "Supposedly, the lake freezes up at night, and in the morning, before anyone can get there, it stays completely solid. One of the nobleman's daughters said she found the body of a small parasite drowned in the water!"

"Parasite's can drown?" Headband girl asked.

Brunette shook her head. "No. That's what's so weird! No living thing can destroy a parasite by something as simple as drowning!"

Mint squinted at them. "They must be servant's for a person of high standing. There's no way regular maids would hear rumors like that."

Brunette turned her attention to the green-haired girl, smirking. "But you know something? What if that's not all?

The green-haired girl looked startled. "Huh?"

Headband Girl seemed to have the same idea. "Why not go see it for yourself, Lettuce?"

The last girl, one with black hair, nodded. "And come back with evidence of it, too. You need to prove you saw the ghost. And don't come back until you have!"

"B-but..." Lettuce stuttered. "My duties..."

"Are you saying you won't do it?"

"I thought you were our friend, Lettuce. You _are _our friend, right?"

Ichigo grabbed the bag from the container and marched up to them. "Oh, no!" She stumbled slightly, before letting the bag slip out of her arms and onto the three girls, covering them completely in rotting leftovers.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Headband shouted.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Ichigo gushed. "I'm so clumsy!"

"I thought palace workers were supposed to be graceful, not clumsy," Brunette sniffed.

Black Hair seemed to ignore all of them. "You little...!" She attempted to tackle Ichigo, but the girl ducked just in time, sending Black Hair crashing to the ground at Mint's feet.

Mint's lips curled into a smile. "You should probably clean up," she suggested. "The King and Queen don't take too kindly to scum showing up at their door."

Black Hair stood up straight, easily towering over the girl. "And who are you to talk?"

Mint lifted her chin, the same cool smile etched on her face. "I am also a palace maid. Pardon my trainee's clumsiness. Though we may be at the bottom of the social pyramid, if there were one's for maids, I assure you, palace servants are at the top. I'm afraid I must ask you to leave."

Brunette's hair turned red. "You're a human, just like us! What right do you have to boss us around like you're in charge?!"

Her smile grew, looking more like an evil smirk. "You can either leave right now, or I can go ahead and call the Royal Guards to escort you out. I promise you, I'm much more pleasant."

The three girls, excluding Lettuce, drew themselves up, before turning on their heels and stalked away, still covered in leftovers.

"Um..."

Ichigo looked over at Lettuce, and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry for butting in like that. They seemed to be giving you a hard time, so I tried to help."

"No...it's okay." Lettuce looked at the ground, wringing her hands. "I...I should go." With that, Lettuce turned away and ran off, leaving the two behind.

"Good thing I took care of your mess," Mint said, sniffing. "That could've gotten messy." She started to walk back towards the servant's entrance. "Anyway, we need to tell this to Shirogane and Akasaka."

Ichigo looked at Mint, confused. "Why?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? A ghost? Come on, those stories have been around long before the Cyniclons took over, and that's still what they are. Stories. This is obviously the work of a Chimera."

"G-ghost?" Ichigo mumbled, not fully taking in what Mint said.

"Obviously just a rumor," Mint continued. Ichigo swayed slightly, not seeming to hear what the smaller girl was saying. "It's the work of the Chimera. I hope you have warm clothes, Ichigo."

The girl blinked warily. "Why?"

Mint smirked. "We're going ghost hunting."

There was a long pause.

"No."

Mint frowned. "Huh?"

"I said no."

"Why?"

Ichigo looked up, her face a mask of fear. "I hate ghosts!"


	9. Nine

**Hello again! I'm sorry this took so long; for an explanation, please refer to my profile. **

**I LOST THIS FILE SO MANY TIMES. **

**IT'S VERY ANNOYING.**

**I HOPE YOU ALL ARE HAPPY. *goes to corner of eternal sadness***

**I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. Never have, never will. It's that simple.**

* * *

"I keep telling you, no! I won't go with you!" Ichigo cried for the third time that hour

Mint crossed her arms and sneered at her. "I keep telling you, ghosts are not real! They are simply childish stories!"

"I don't care! I keep telling you, I'm not going!"

The two maids were in the kitchen, arguing; it was well after dinner, and most of the other servers had gone to bed. Ryou, who had been listening to their conversation for quite some time, finally butted in with a, "What are you talking about?"

Mint crossed her arms. "We overheard some maids speaking. Apparently, parasites are drowning in a nearby river."

Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Parasites can't drown, though. Nothing natural can kill them."

"That's why we're going to see what it is!" Mint snapped, not taking her eyes off of Ichigo. "But Ichigo here is too scared to go!" she added, hoping a jab at her pride would work.

Instead, the red-haired girl nodded. "Yes! I _hate _ghosts!"

Mint looked ready to explode. There was no motivating this girl!

"Mint is right," Ryou said. "This does sound suspiciously like Chimera activity. It doesn't make sense, though. Why would Chimeras drown Parasites?"

Ichigo shrugged, looking desperate to find a way to not go to the river. "Who knows what goes on in their jellyfish mind?" she asked loudly, her voice sounding high pitched. She let out a nervous laugh. "Hey, Mint, don't we have to go get your uniform fixed today? Imagine the humiliation if you came to work tomorrow with a torn skirt!"

Mint ground her teeth. Even though she knew Ichigo was just trying to get out of it, the red head was right. She did need to get her uniform fixed, and quickly.

"And I'm supposed to pay for it!" Ichigo added.

Annoyance shot through Mint, and she glanced out the window. Dusk was barely starting. She smirked.

"Good idea, Ichigo. We can't go."

The maid visibly sagged with relief.

"It's much too light out! By the time we finish up at the tailor's, it will be night. We can go then, where it will be harder for people to see us! Good thinking!"

Ryou smiled. "I'm glad you're finally taking inititave, Ichigo. I knew you wouldn't let a silly little fear get in the way for what's good for all humans!" He turned around and walked out of the kitchen, missing the defeated look on the maid's face.

Mint folded up her uniform and started to walk out, her chin held high. "Well?" she asked Ichigo, her voice haughty. "Let's go to the tailors! The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get started, right?"

With a crestfallen expression, Ichigo sighed and followed the victorious girl. There was no way she was getting out of this.

Unless...

* * *

"Hello?" Mint called as she opened the door that read "Tailor" on a plaque. "Is anyone here?"

"Just a moment!" a voice called out. Ichigo furrowed her eyebrow. It sounded oddly familiar...

Mint was frowning. "That sounds a lot like..."

"How may I help you?" a timid voice asked. Both girls turned their attention to the source of the voice.

"Lettuce?" Ichigo asked.

The girl blinked. "You know my name?" she asked, sounding surprised. Her look turned into an apologetic one. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so disrespectful! I didn't recognize you for a moment! Please forgive me!"

Ichigo waved the apology away. "That's nothing to worry about. Are you Yomogi the tailor?"

"N-no. I-I'm her daughter." She bowed. "I haven't introduced myself properly. My name is Lettuce Midorikawa. I o-only help her."

Ichigo remembered the heaps of cloth the girl was carrying earlier. That explained it, but why was she carrying it away from the palace? To deliever it to another seamstress, maybe?

"Lettuce? Is anyone there?"

"Yes, Mother! Two maids for the palace..." she looked at them sheepishly. "What are your names?"

"Ichigo and Mint."

"Ichigo and Mint!" the girl repeated loudly.

"Send them down here!"

Lettuce smiled meekly at the two girls. "The stairs are over there. I would escort you myself, but I'm afraid I must run errands. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvience."

"We can walk ourselves," Mint snapped, marching to the stairs and stomping down them.

Ichigo shook her head once Mint was out of sight. "Ignore her," she told a distressed-looking Lettuce. "She's naturally rude."

Lettuce gave her a small smile. "Please excuse me," she said quickly. She started to walk out of the room briskly.

"Wait," Ichigo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Is there a back way out of here?"

Lettuce blinked. "Um, yes." She pointed to a door not too far away from the stairs. "If you go downstairs, there's a door that exists into the courtyard. It's nearby my mother's studio, where she often takes works."

"Thank you," Ichigo told her, before racing down the stiars. "Your help is appreciated!"

* * *

The cost of the repairs was three silver coins. The moment Yomogi Midorikawa said them, Ichigo practically threw them at her face.

"It will only need a few stiches," Yomogi was saying, "but everyone needs to come back eventually. Let me take your measurements, in case you need a new uniform in a few months. It will only take a few minutes."

This was the opprotunity she was waiting for. Ichigo waited for two minutes, before quietly following them. She didn't need any unwanted attenion from the tailor or Mint.

She heard the faint _click _of a door closing. Now was her chance.

Practically jumping for the door, she grabbed the knob and wrenched it open. She let out a cry of relief. She wouldn't have to go to the ghost river tonight!

"Hmm? Are you really so eager to explore the river, Ichigo?"

"AAH!" The red-haired maid jumped high in the air, quickly twisting her body around and landing on her feet when she hit the ground. "Wha...what are you...?"

"Doing here?" Mint asked casually. "Well, I convinced Midorikawa that measurememts were not necessary, and I made my escape. You must have heard me leave! I'm so glad that you heard me! I would've hated to investigate by myself. After all, it's the two of us right now that are supposed to find our teammates to save the Earth. Correct?"

She was mocking her. Ichigo clenched her fists.

"I mean it, Mint. I won't go with you!" she growled.

Mint scowled, but it was gone within seconds. "If you insist," she said airily, looking at her fingernails, as if bored. "If you keep insisting, then I won't force you."

Ichigo closed her eyes, smiling with relief. "Thank you for understanding, Mint. I promise I'll make it up to you!"

Mint chuckled. "Don't wory, I know you will."

Before Ichigo could turn around to leave, a sudden sensation around her neck made her eyes snap open. "H-hey!" she protested.

Mint gripped the rope and gave it a firm tug, making Ichigo stumble forward. "I didn't want to resort to this, but it seems I don't have a choice," she said, sounding almost apologetic. "Unless you want to choke, I suggest not running away."

"You little...!"

Mint gave her a smug grin. "You know, having animal abilities outside our transformed selves is very useful."

"What?"

Mint shook her head. "Never mind. Let's go." She pointed at the darkening sky. "By the time we get to the river, it will be night. Perfect for hunting down a Chimera, correct?"

Ichigo decided she _really _did not like Mint.

* * *

The night was peaceful. There wasn't a sound in the area, except for the soft gust of wind, the gentle shaking of tree branches...

...and Ichigo's hyperventilating.

"Will you be quiet?!" Mint hissed to her, tugging on the rope that bound Ichigo. "Whatever it is, it'll catch us if we aren't quiet! We aren't even there yet!"

"I told you, I hate ghosts. I'm terrified of ghosts." Ichigo glared at her teammate. "And you really didn't have to tie me and drag me here!"

"I'm afraid it was necessary if you are to complete your duties for the Earth," Mint whispered back fiercely. "Look, we're here."

Ichigo froze, shaking with fear. Mint eyed the river with suspicion, trying to determine what was wrong with it. "Come on. We're going to check it out."

The small puffball, who had decided to follow them, floated next to Ichigo's head as they walked by the river, watching it closely.

"This is scary," Ichigo whimpered. "What are we going to do if it comes out? I don't even know if we can fight ghosts!"

"Don't be stupid!" Mint sniffed. Suddenly, she stopped, and pointed at the sky. "AHH!"

"What?!" Ichigo shouted fearfully, attempting to run away, but was automatically tugged back.

"Oops," the dark-haired girl said mockingly. "Must have been my imagination."

Ichigo's eye twitched. "You...!"

The shorter girl laughed. "I was only joking. Come on, let's go investigate further."

The red-haired girl straightened, suddenly looking serious. "If there were any real Chimera activity, this little guy would've detected it by now." She laughed nervously. "There's no need to investigate! Let's return to the palace!"

"In any case, we should still search." As though struck by a sudden thought, Mint peered at the robot. "What is his official name? We can't keep calling him 'little guy'."

Ichigo seemed distracted by the thought, her panic of the situation replaced with confusion, which was exactly what Mint was hoping for. "I don't know...I'll have to think about that...maybe Ami? But that seems so girlish...then again, he is pink...I don't even know if it fits him, anyway...you're a him, right?" she asked the robot.

As the girl was distracted, Mint continued to walk along, guiding the busy Ichigo, who was still rattling off names.

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted five minutes later. "How dare you distract me!"

"It seemed like the only way to make you continue," Mint replied innocently. "Come on, we've barely been here for a few minutes. It is weird, though, how we haven't encountered anything yet."

"Great!" Ichigo chirped, suddenly cheerful. "That means no ghosts!"

"Idiot! We're looking for Chimeras, not mythical creatures."

Before Ichigo could retort, a sudden gleam caught her eye. Turning her head towards the river, she let out a strangled squeak.

"What? What is it?" Mint asked, turning her gaze to whatever Ichigo was looking at. Her eyes widened. "Oh, my..."

The river was glowing. It was faint, but it was getting brighter. The light of it cast eerie shadows everywhere, causing Ichigo's hair to stand on end...literally. Neither she, nor Mint, or the puffball noticed as they stared at the water.

"Any sign?" Mint asked the pink robot sharply.

The thing shook its whole body, indicating a no. "No Chimera! No Chimera!" He flew towards the river and hovered inches above it. "Just water! Just water!"

"What's making it glow, though?" Mint questioned.

Before the robot could respond, a stream of water knocked him away, sending the poor thing crashing into the ground.

"It's here," Mint whispered darkly.

Ichigo let out a shriek and backed away quickly. Mint snatched her pendant from the pocket of her uniform and clutched it firmly. She brought it to her lips and kissed it. "Mew Mew Mint! METAMORPHO-SIS!"

A bright flash of blue light blinded Ichigo. When it faded away, Mint was in her transformed self, glaring at the water.

"What are you doing?" she snapped to Ichigo. "Transform!"

The water rose in gallons, hovering several feet above them. A stream seperated, knocking Mint far to the left, sending her crashing into the ground. Ichigo cowered on the ground. "The ghost! The ghost is here!"

"Ichigo! Ichigo!" the robot's voice insisted.

"I can't!" she sobbed. "I'm scared! I can't fight ghosts!"

"Teammate! Teammate! Danger! Danger! Both of them!"

**_Mint..._**

**_Both of them?!_**

Ichigo stood shakily. "I can do this...Mint needs my help...if I don't...she'll die..." She grabbed the pendant and pressed it to her lips numbly. "MEW MEW STAWBERRY! METAMORPHO-SIS!"

"Mint! Mint!" she called to her recovering teammate, who was staring at the streams that waited to attack.

"It's about time!" the girl snapped.

"I'm sorry! I...I couldn't let you...I couldn't let you die..." She glared at the water. "Besides, this is no ghost!" Her fear was quickly replaced with anger. "It's being controlled by _someone!" _Ichigo clenched her fists. "The robot...he said my teammate was in danger...both of them."

"But...there's only two of us," Mint said with a confused look.

"Which means whoever our teammate is, she's controlling this," Ichigo responded.

Mint blinked at her. "I didn't know you had enough brains in you!"

The maid ignored the jab. "Come on out, you coward!" she shouted. "For the future of the Earth! Meow!" She clapped her hands to her mouth, as though startled by what she said.

Mint rolled her eyes. "You sure do like to make things more dramatic than they already are..."

One of the pillars moved backwards, before moving forward with frightening speed. Both girls quickly jumped out of the way, barely missing the water. When it fell away, there was a large dent on the spot where they had originally stood.

"Mint Arrow!" Mint called, making a tossing gesture, before grabbing onto her weapon. She twirled three times, before pulling back the string, causing the bow to expand in size. "Ribbon...Mint...ECHO!"

The arrow flew towards the pillar, causing it to fall apart and crash into the river again. The two landed on the ground, watching it fall.

"That was easy," Mint commented smugly.

"Far too easy," Ichigo said darkly. "GET BACK!"

Another stream of water launched at them, but it was smaller than the pillar. A sudden glow, brighter than the river, got their attention.

"She's here! She's here!" the robot chirped.

They could see a faint outline of a short girl. Ichigo squinted, trying to get a better look. The glow slowly died down a bit, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the girl.

"No way..." Mint whispered.

"It's...it's Lettuce."

The glow disappeared, and where Lettuce once stood was another girl. Her hair was a light green, held in an odd sort of ponytail. White antennas were on her head, falling to her feet. Her dress was a dark green, fanning out in a flower-like appearence. A garter was strapped to her right thigh. It wasn't the costume that identified her, though...it was the green choker necklace. Dangling on it was a pendant. Just like theirs.

"How do you know who I am?" the transformed Lettuce snapped.

"It can't be..." Mint muttered. Lettuce's hands fell to her sides, revealing the two curved shapes on her chest, resembling something similar to a fish.

"It's true!" Ichigo exclaimed. "She's one of us!"

"Who are you?" Lettuce cried. She crossed her arms over her chest in an 'X'. "Lettuce Tanets!"

The white antenna wrapped around her body, glowing a brilliant white. She slowly parted them, and strange objects appeared in her hands, She clacked pressed them together, making a clacking noise. "Ribbon...Lettuce Rush!"

A stream of water flew from her hands, striking Mint in the stomache. Gasping for air, Mint fell back.

"Mint!" Ichigo cried, racing over to her fallen teammate. "Are you okay?" Without waiting for a responce, Ichigo turned to glare at Lettuce. "You...how dare you attack your teammates!"

Lettuce made no sign that she heard Ichigo. "You're next," she murmured.

"Stop it! Lettuce! Listen to me! You have to stop it!" Ichigo yelled.

She hovered in the air, turning slowly, leaning forward. "Ribobn...Lettuce Rush!" Another blast of water formed in her hands, aimed directly for her. Ichigo threw herself to the side, barely managing to avoid getting hit.

"I won't miss this time," Lettuce warned her.

What could she do? Lettuce was obviously a Mew...she couldn't attack her! But her choices were limited, and right now, that seemed like the best choice.

"Ribbon...Lettuce Rush!"

Ichigo jumped high in the air, once again avoiding the blast. She didn't have a choice. She had to attack, now, or else she and Mint would be defeated...or worse...

"Strawberry Bell!" she called out. The ribbon on her tail glowed, and the heart-shaped weapon appeared in her hands. Before she called out her attack, though, she stopped, shock running through her. She stared at Lettuce. Throughout the fighting and all the water, she hadn't noticed...

Lettuce was crying.

"Lettuce..." She murmured, before crying out and thrusting the heart-shaped object in front of her, barely managing to raise a barrier as another one of Lettuce's attacks came flying at her.

"I get it now!" Ichigo yelled over the roar of water. "You're scared, aren't you? This ability...this power...you're afraid of it, aren't you?!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Lettuce cried, her blank mask breaking slightly.

"I'm not!" Ichigo shouted back. "Lettuce is a sweet, kind girl...she wouldn't be doing this! She's far too kind for that!"

"That's enough!" Lettuce yelled. The blank mask vanished, replaced with a look of anger. "I can't take it anymore! Ribbon...Lettuce—" She cut off, gasping in surprise when a body tackled her to the ground.

"Stop it!" Mint shouted. "I saw how those girls treated you earlier. It's not the first time, right?! You're angry at them! That's why you're here, doing this! You can't keep bottling up your anger, though!"

The tears flowed faster. "All I really wanted...was to get along with everyone. I'm always overlooked, always ignored...no one notices the quiet, shy girl scrubbing the floors...and then...there's this sudden ability...there's no one like me. No one would ever be my friend if they saw me like this...! No one would even go near me!"

"I understand if it's hard. But you don't have to be alone anymore," Mint said gently, standing up and hauling the green-haired girl up with her. "Hurting people won't make up for it, though. You have to understand...you can't hurt others."

"We could have really hurt you, you know," Ichigo said boldly. She walked over and clapped Lettuce on the shoulder, making the girl let out a small shriek. "But we won't! Not anymore!"

Lettuce blinked. "What do you mean?"

"This whole transformation thing...we're a team. I can't explain everything right now...but you have to understand..." Ichigo gave Lettuce a grin. "We're friends. Teammates. We're going to have to stick together."

All traces of anger were washed away. It was replaced with something else...something resembling happiness.

* * *

"So...we're going to restore the Earth...to the humans?"

It was hours later, and Ichigo and Mint were in the kitchen in their maid uniforms. They were tired, but breakfast was in a few hours, and they had to prepare. Lettuce, now wearing a server's uniform, was sitting on a chair, blinking at Ryou and Akasaka.

"Correct," Ryou told her. "You just need to find the last two members, and then we'll be one step closer with the rebellion."

Lettuce blinked. "That's...that's amazing."

"So, you'll help us?" Keiichiro asked.

The green-haired girl nodded. "Of course I will! What must I do?"

"For now, we're undercover. I've made arrangements to transfer you to the palace, so you girls won't be seperated. It's vital that you are not discovered for who you really are. The rebellion is not ready to be discovered," Ryou told her. "The fate of the humans is in your hands."

"Speaking of the fate of humans..." Keiichiro cut in. "Breakfast is in three hours, and it seems like I've run out of cream. Ichigo, would you be kind enough to go pick it up from the market for me?"

"Aw, why can't Mint go pick it up?!"

"I haven't had my morning tea yet, Ichigo. Besides, I'm much more useful than you."

"What did you say to me?!"

Ryou turned to Lettuce, who was watching the others argue with a confused expression. "By the way, Lettuce..."

She turned to look at him. "Yes, Shirogane?"

"Why did you drown those parasites?" he questioned. "It doesn't seem like something anyone would do...and it doesn't explain why they were wandering around..."

Lettuce frowned. "Before all of this...I just recently discovered what I could do...and it seems someone reported me. The next thing I knew, the parasites were following me everywhere...tracking my moves...they seemed to think I was some kind of weapon. I drowned them with my powers..."

Ryou froze, before releasing his tense muscles. It couldn't be helped. They had already been suspicious...

Things were definetly going to be interesting.

* * *

Ichigo marched through the market place, her mood sour. _**Three of us...and still they send me! It's unfair!**_

The only thing keeping her from completely losing her temper was the constant chime from the necklace Masaya had given her.

Masaya...the thought of him brought a blush to her cheeks.

"Ichigo! Ichigo!"

The small furry robot floated around her head. This certain area in the market was empty, seeing as it was so early, and most other people were someplace else. Ichigo smiled at him, struck with a sudden thought.

"I know what to name you," she said softly. "Masha. Your new name is Masha."

The robot chirped, pleased with his new name. "Masha! Masha!"

Ichigo smiled softly, then whispered, "C'mon, Masha, you need to hide before someone spots you."

The robot shrank, and Ichigo placed him in her pocket. She had the cream, and she made her way back to the castle slowly. She had time before she had to hurry; why not enjoy a nice walk and think?

_**What would've happened if that Chimera hadn't appeared that night I became Mew Ichigo? **_she wondered to herself. Surely, Masaya hadn't just called her over to give her the necklace...he must've wanted to tell her something...

Ichigo's cheeks burned red. Could he have possibly...?

...wanted to kiss her? Her cheeks grew even redder at the thought. _**Don't be silly!**_

She felt an odd sensation on her head. Confused, she patted her head, being greeted with the feeling of soft fur...

_FUR?! _

Frantically, Ichigo grabbed onto it and yanked on it slightly. It hurt. Twisting her head, she caught sight of her swishing tail. Letting out a shriek, she covered her head with her arms, and curled the tail beneath the skirt of her dress. The tail would be much easier to hide, but the ears would be a challenge!

_**How did this happen?! **_she wailed to herself. She had to talk to Ryou immedietly!

Running at top speed, she wove her way through the nearly empty streets, the only sound being her rapid footsteps and the chimes from her bell. Thank goodness it wasn't completely crowded, or it would've been a nightmare!

_CRASH!_

Ichigo fell on her bottom, and the person she had crashed into had fallen in the opposite direction. Just as she opened her mouth to apologize, the stranger let out a scoff. "Watch where you're going!" the stranger snapped. It was a male.

Ichigo scowled and stood upright, not daring to move her arms from her head. "You know, I would've apologized, but just for that, I probably shouldn't! Someone as rude as you don't deserve an apology!"

"Do you know who you're talking to?!" the stranger demanded angrily.

"No, and I don't care!" she snapped back.

He stood up, towering over Ichigo by at least a head. A hood covered most of his head, but she could see his face. She blinked, staring at his gold eyes. He was a Cyniclon, and barely older than her.

Of all the luck...! He could report her for treason!

He seemed to take in her appearence as well. Probably noting the fact she was a human, and all the trouble she could get in for talking back to him. "Why are you covering your head?"

"None of your buisness," she mumbled. "I don't have time for this. I'm going to be late!" She started to move past him, but he grabbed her wrist, wrenching her back.

"You still owe me an apology," he told her. He seemed less angry, though. He sounded more...playful.

"I told you, you were rude," she snapped. "I really have to go, okay? I don't have..."

He pulled on her arm again, pulling her closer. She blinked in surprise, pressing her arms to her head harder. She couldn't let him see her ears! All the talk that would come up...it would be a nightmare!

"Who said you would give it willingly?" he chuckled. His tone wasn't angry for sure. He sounded like he was teasing her.

"You're kinda cute for a human. Maybe a little kiss would make up for it, hmm?"

Turning a stark red, Ichigo twisted away from him, falling on her bottom again, before scrambling up and turning around. "Leave me alone!" she said coldly, before running off, this time much more faster.

The Cyniclon chuckled. She would be hard to forget, with the chiming bell necklace and the bright red hair.

He had a feeling that they would be meeting again soon. He was looking forward to it. With another chuckle, he brought his hood lower and disappeared.

* * *

"I'm back," Ichigo called. Lettuce and Mint were milling around the kitchen, setting food on trays. Ichigo breathed in the scent of breakfast. It smelled heavenly.

No! She couldn't afford to get distracted! She had to talk to Ryou!

"Where is he?" she demanded to Keiichiro, her expression dark with anger.

"Where is who?"

"Where is Ryou? I demand to talk to him!"

The doors swung open. "Did someone ask for me?" Ryou's voice asked.

Ichigo turned around, glaring at him. "YOU!" she growled. Mint and Lettuce stopped what they were doing and stared at the red-haired maid, whose arms were still pressed against her head firmly.

Ryou didn't even flinch. "Yes?"

"Why did this happen? I don't understand! I didn't even pull out my pendant! I didn't even transform!" she wailed. "I almost got caught, you know!"

The blonde-haired boy blinked, confused. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

Reluctantly, Ichigo pulled her arms away from her head, and her ears sprung back up. Her tail uncurled as well, swishing back and forth behind her.

"I told you about the animal abilities, didn't I?" Mint asked haughtily. "Yesterday, before we went to the river."

"Oh, my," Lettuce murmured, staring at Ichigo with wide eyes.

Ryou shoulders shook with laughter. "Relax, it's only a side affect. They eventually disappear, but usually they only come up when you're flustered or excited."

That certainly explained a lot...she would just have to control her emotions...

"Look, they're gone now!" Lettuce pointed out. Ichigo put a hand on her head. Sure enough, the ears were gone.

That was a close one. If that Cyniclon had caught her, she would've been in a world of trouble! She thought of him again...

Gold eyes...and how he held her really close...

He called her cute...

If she hadn't moved away, he might have actually kissed her...

"Oh," Lettuce's voice said. "They're back."

* * *

**FOUR THOUSAND WORDS.**

**I'VE NEVER WRITTEN A CHAPTER THIS LONG.**

**YOU'RE WELCOME.**


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